08专八听力原文
story telling专八听力原文
story telling专八听力原文Once upon a time, in the ancient world, there was a mysterious tale whispered in the ears of the wise and the curious. It was a story of a grand city, lost to the depths of time and the rolling waves of the ocean. This city was known as Atlantis.Legend had it that Atlantis was the jewel of the ancient world, a civilization so advanced that it rivaled even the gods. Its people were said to possess incredible knowledge, from the secrets of the universe to the mysteries of the human heart. Their architecture was grand and their technology, unparalleled.But Atlantis was not just a city of wonders. It was also a city of vice, where the lust for power and wealth corrupted even the noblest of hearts. The people of Atlantis grew arrogant, believing themselves to be superior to all others. They forgot the old ways, turned their backs on the gods, and worshipped only themselves and their own creations.The gods, seeing the decadence of Atlantis, decided to teach the city a lesson. They sent a great deluge, a catastrophe that would wash away the sins of the city and cleanse the world of its wickedness. The people of Atlantis tried to flee, but it was too late. The waters came, and with them, the end of an era.Atlantis sank into the ocean, never to be seen again. Its people, its knowledge, its grandeur, all gone in an instant. Only the legend remained, passed down through the generations, a cautionary tale of the dangers of hubris and the folly of forgetting one's roots.Centuries passed, and the legend of Atlantis faded into the mists of time.But some still believed, and they searched for clues that might lead them to the lost city. Many claimed to have found it, but none could prove their claims. Atlantis remained a mystery, a ghost story told to frighten children and intrigue adults.Until one day, a young adventurer named James stumbled upon an ancient scroll while exploring the ruins of an ancient library. The scroll, yellowed with age, contained a map and a set of cryptic instructions that seemed to lead to the lost city of Atlantis. James's heart raced as he realized the implications of his discovery. Could it be true? Had he finally found the key to unlocking the secrets of Atlantis?James gathered a team of experts and set out on a treacherous journey to find the lost city. They faced storms, shipwrecks, and even mutiny within their own ranks. But James never gave up. He was determined to uncover the truth behind the legend of Atlantis.After months of hardship and adventure, James and his team finally arrived at the coordinates marked on the ancient map. There, beneath the waves, they found a vast city, its ruins still grand and imposing even after all those centuries. It was Atlantis, risen from the depths of the sea to greet a new era of explorers.James and his team explored the ruins, uncovering incredible treasures and ancient knowledge long forgotten by the world. They learned the secrets of Atlantis, its rise to greatness, and its tragic fall. They also discovered that the legend of Atlantis was not just a cautionary tale, but a warning of what could happen when humanity loses sight of its values and forgets its connection to the natural world.As James and his team returned to the surface, they vowed to share theirdiscoveries with the world. They hoped that by revealing the secrets of Atlantis, they could inspire a new generation to cherish the knowledge of the past and build a better future for all. And so, the legend of Atlantis lived on, not just as a mystery or a ghost story, but as a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come.。
2008-2012英语专八听力真命题文本
2012年SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE, using no more than three words in each gap. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may refer to your notes while completing the task. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. Now, listen to the mini-lecture.ObservationPeople do observation in daily life context for safety or for proper behaviour. However, there are differences in daily life observation and research observation. Differences---- daily life observation--casual--(1) ________--defendence on memory---- research observation-- (2) _________-- careful record keepingB. Ways to select samples in research---- time sampling-- systematic: e.g. fixed intervals every hour-- random: fixed intervals but (3) _______Systematic sampling and random sampling are often used in combination.---- (4) _______-- definition: selection of different locations-- reason: humans’or animals’behaviour (5) ______ across circumstances-- (6) ______: more objective observationsC. Ways to record behaviour (7) _______---- observation with intervention-- participant observation: researcher as observer and participant-- field experiment: research (8) ______ over conditions---- observation without intervention-- purpose: describing behaviour (9) ______-- (10) ______ : no intervention-- researcher: a passive recorderSECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer thequestions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10seconds to answer each of the foliowing five questions. Now listen to the interview.1. Which of the following statements about creativity is INCORRECT?A. Creativity stems from human beings' novel thinking.B. The duration of the creative process varies from person to person.C. Creative people focus on novel thinking rather than on solutions.D. The outcome of human creativity comes in varied forms.2. The interviewee cites the Bach family to show that creativityA. appears to be the result of the environment.B. seems to be attributable to genetic makeup.C. appears to be more associated with great people.D. comes from both environment and genetic makeup.3. How many types of the creative process does the interviewee describe?A. One.B. Two.C. Three.D. Four.4. Which of the following features of a creative personality is NOT mentioned in the interview?A. Unconventional.B. Original.C. Resolute.D. Critical.5. The interviewee's suggestion for a creativity workout supports the view thatA. brain exercising will not make people creative.B. most people have diversified interests and hobbies.C. the environment is significant in the creative process.D. creativity can only be found in great people.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.6. What is the news item mainly about?A. U.S. astronauts made three space walks.B. An international space station was set up.C. A problem in the cooling system was solved.D. A 350-kilogram ammonia pump was removed.Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.7. In which country would parents often threaten to punish children by leaving them outside?A. India.B. The Philippines.C. Egypt.D. Not mentioned.8. What is the main purpose of the study?A. T o reveal cultural differences and similarities.B. To expose cases of child abuse and punishment.C. T o analyze child behaviour across countries.D. T o investigate ways of physical punishment.Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.9. According to the news item, Japan's economic growth in the second quarter was ____ less than the first quarter.A. 0.6 percentB. 3.4 percentC. 4 percentD. 3 percent10. How many reasons does the news item cite for Japan's slow economic growth?A. 2.B. 3.C. 4.D. 5.2011年SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Some of the gaps may require a maximum of THREE words. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may refer to your notes while completing the task. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.Now, listen to the mini-lecture.Classifications of CulturesAccording to Edward Hall, different cultures result in different ideas about the world. Hall is an anthropologist. He is interested in relations between cultures.I. High-context cultureA. feature- context: more important than the message- meaning: (1)__________i.e. more attention paid to (2) ___________ than to the message itselfB. examples- personal space- preference for (3)__________- less respect for privacy / personal space- attention to (4)___________- concept of time- belief in (5)____________ interpretation of time- no concern for punctuality- no control over timeII. Low-context cultureA. feature- message: separate from context- meaning: (6)___________B. examples- personal space- desire / respect for individuality / privacy- less attention to body language- more concern for (7)___________- attitude toward time- concept of time: (8)____________- dislike of (9)_____________- time seen as commodityIII. ConclusionAwareness of different cultural assumptions- relevance in work and lifee.g. business, negotiation, etc.- (10)_____________ in successful communicationSECTION B INTERVIEW/CONVERSATIONIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now, listen to the interview.1. According to Dr. Harley, what makes language learning more difficult after a certain age?A. Differences between two languages.B. Declining capacity to learn syntax.C. Lack of time available.D. Absence of motivation.2. What does the example of Czech speakers show?A. It's natural for language learners to make errors.B. Differences between languages cause difficulty.C. There exist differences between English and Czech.D. Difficulty stems from either difference or similarity.3. Which of the following methods does NOT advocate speaking?A. The traditional method.B. The audiolingual method.C. The immersion method.D. The direct method.4. Which hypothesis deals with the role of language knowledge in the learning process?A. The acquisition and learning distinction hypothesis.B. The comprehensible input hypothesis.C. The monitor hypothesis.D. The active filter hypothesis.5. Which of the following topics is NOT discussed during the interview?A. Causes of language learning difficulties.B. Differences between mother tongue and a second language.C. Theoretical conceptualization of second language learning.D. Pedagogical implementation of second language teaching.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question.Now, listen to the news.6. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?A. Greyhound is Britain's largest bus and train operator.B. Currently Greyhound routes in Britain are limited.C. The coach starts from London every hour.D. Passengers are offered a variety of services.Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now, listen to the news.7. What does the news item say about the fires in Greece?A. Fires only occurred near the Greek capital.B. Fires near the capital caused casualties.C. Fires near the capital were the biggest.D. Fires near the capital were soon under control.8. According to the news, what measure did authorities take to fight the fires?A. Residents were asked to vacate their homes.B. Troops were brought in to help the firefighters.C. Air operations and water drops continued overnight.D. Another six fire engines joined the firefighting operation.Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now, listen to the news.9. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the current decline in the Mexican economy?A. Fewer job opportunities in Mexico.B. Strong ties with the U.S. economy.C. Decline in tourism.D. Decline in tax revenues.10. Drop in remittances from abroad is mainly due to _________.A. declining oil productionB. the outbreak of the H1N1 fluC. the declining GDP in MexicoD. the economic downturn in the U.S.2010年SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.SECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.1. According to Dr Johnson, diversity meansA. merging of different cultural identities.B. more emphasis on homogeneity.C. embracing of more ethnic differences.D. acceptance of more branches of Christianity.2. According to the interview, which of the following statements in CORRECT?A. Some places are more diverse than others.B. Towns are less diverse than large cities.C. Diversity can be seen everywhere.D. American is a truly diverse country.3. According to Dr Johnson, which place will witness a radical change in its racial makeup by 2025?A. MaineB. SelinsgroveC. PhiladelphiaD. California4. During the interview Dr Johnson indicates thatA. greater racial diversity exists among younger populations.B. both older and younger populations are racially diverse.C. age diversity could lead to pension problems.D. older populations are more racially diverse.5. According to the interview, religious diversityA. was most evident between 1990 and 2000.B. exists among Muslim immigrants.C. is restricted to certain places in the US.D. is spreading to more parts of the country.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.6. What is the main idea of the news item?A. Sony developed a computer chip for cell phones.B. Japan will market its wallet phone abroad.C. The wallet phone is one of the wireless innovations.D. Reader devices are available at stores and stations.Question 7 and 8 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.7. Which of the following is mentioned as the government’s measure to control inflation?A. Foreign investment.B. Donor support.C. Price control.D. Bank prediction.8. According to Kingdom Bank, what is the current inflation rate in Zimbabwe?A. 20 million percent.B. 2.2 million percent.C. 11.2 million percent.D. Over 11.2 million percent.Question 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.9. Which of the following is CORRECT?A. A big fire erupted on the Nile River.B. Helicopters were used to evacuate people.C. Five people were taken to hospital for burns.D. A big fire took place on two floors.10. The likely cause of the big fire isA. electrical short-cut.B. lack of fire-satefy measures.C. terrorism.D. not known.2009年SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY Whilelistening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will needthem to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will begiven two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-fillingtask on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.Writing Experimental ReportsI.Content of an experimental report, e.g.--- study subject/ area--- study purpose--- ____1____II.Presentation of an experimental report--- providing details--- regarding readers as _____2_____III.Structure of an experimental report--- feature: highly structured and ____3____--- sections and their content:INTRODUCTION ____4____; why you did itMETHOD how you did itRESULT what you found out____5____ what you think it showsIV. Sense of readership--- ____6____: reader is the marker--- ____7____: reader is an idealized, hypothetical, intelligent person with little knowledge of your study--- tasks to fulfill in an experimental report:introduction to relevant areanecessary background informationdevelopment of clear argumentsdefinition of technical termsprecise description of data ____8____V. Demands and expectations in report writing--- early stage:understanding of study subject/area and its implicationsbasic grasp of the report’s format--- later stage:____9____ on research significance--- things to avoid in writing INTRODUCTION:inadequate material____10____ of research justification for the studySECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer thequestions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.1. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?A. T oastmasters was originally set up to train speaking skills.B. Toastmasters only accepts prospective professional speakers.C. T oastmasters accepts members from the general public.D. T oastmasters is an exclusive club for professional speakers.2. The following are job benefits by joining Toastmasters EXCEPTA. becoming familiar with various means of communication.B. learning how to deliver messages in an organized way.C. becoming aware of audience expectations.D. learning how to get along with friends.3. T oastmasters' general approach to training can be summarized asA. practice plus overall training.B. practice plus lectures.C. practice plus voice training.D. practice plus speech writing.4. T oastmasters aims to train people to be all the following EXCEPTA. public speakers.B. grammar teachers.C. masters of ceremonies.D. evaluators.5. The interview mainly focuses onA. the background information.B. the description of training courses.C. the requirements of public speaking.D. the overall personal growth.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer thequestions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Questions 6 and 7 are'based on the foUowing news. At the end of the news item, you will begiven 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.6. Which of the following is the main cause of global warming?A. Fossil fuel.B. Greenhouse gases.C. Increased dryness.D. Violent storm patterns.7. The news item implies that ______ in the last report.A. there were fewer studies doneB. there were fewer policy proposalsC. there was less agreementD. there were fewer objectivesQuestions 8 and 9 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will begiven 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.8. The cause of the Indian train accident wasA. terrorist sabotage.B. yet to be determined.C. lack of communications.D. bad weather.9. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?A. The accident occurred on a bridge.B. The accident occurred in New Delhi.C. There were about 600 casualties.D. Victims were rescued immediately.Question 10 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.10. What is the main message of the news item?A. Young people should seek careers advice.B. Careers service needs to be improved.C. Businesses are not getting talented people.D. Careers advice is not offered on the Intemet.2008年SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.The Popularity of EnglishI. Present status of EnglishA. English as a native/first languageB. English as a lingua franca: a language for communication among people whose (1)______ are different (1)_______C. Number of people speaking English as a first or a second language:—320-380 million native speakers—250- (2) _____ million speakers of English as a second language (2)_______II. Reasons for the popular use of EnglishA. (3) ____ reasons (3)_______—the Pilgrim Fathers brought the language to America;—British settlers brought the language to Australia;—English was used as a means of control in (4)_____ (4)_______B. Economic reasons—spread of (5) _____ (5)_______—language of communication iii the international business communityC. (6)______ in international travel (6)_______—use of English in travel and tourism—signs in airports—language of announcement—language of (7) ______ (7)_______D. Information exchange—use of English in the academic world—language of (8) _____ or journal articles (8)_______E. Popular culture—pop music on (9)______ (9)_______—films from the USAIII. Questions to think aboutA. status of English in the futureB. (10) ______ of distinct varieties of English (10)_______ SECTION B CONVERSATIONIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and thenanswer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Questions 1 to 5 are based on a conversation. At the end of the conversation you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the conversation.1. Mary doesn't seem to favour the idea of a new airport because ________.A. the existing airports are to be wastedB. more people will be encouraged to travelC. more oil will be consumedD. more airplanes will be purchased2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned by Mary as a potential disadvantage?A. More people in the area.B. Noise and motorways.C. Waste of land.D. Unnecessary travel.3. Freddy has cited the following advantages for a new airport EXCEPTA. more job opportunitiesB. vitality to the local economyC. road construction,D. presence of aircrew in the area4. Mary thinks that people don't need to do much travel nowadays as a result of ________.A. less emphasis on personal contactB. advances in modern telecommunicationsC. recent changes in people's conceptsD. more potential damage to the area5. We learn from the conversation that Freddy is Mary's ideas,A. strongly in favour ofB. mildly in favour ofC. strongly againstD. mildly againstSECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will begiven 10 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.6. What is the main idea of the news item?A. A new government was formed after Sunday's elections.B. The new government intends to change the welfare system.C. The Social Democratic Party founded the welfare system.D. The Social Democratic Party was responsible for high unemployment.Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.7. The tapes of the Apollo-11 mission were first stored in ________.A. a U.S. government archives warehouseB. a NASA ground tracking stationC. the Goddard Space Flight CentreD. none of the above places8. What does the news item say about Richard Nafzger?A. He is assigned the task to look for the tapes.B. He believes that the tapes are probably lost.C. He works in a NASA ground receiving site.D. He had asked for the tapes in the 1970s.Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news..9. The example in the news item is cited mainly to show ________.A. that doctors are sometimes professionally incompetentB. that in cases like that hospitals have to pay huge compensationsC. that language barriers might lower the quality of treatmentD. that language barriers can result in fatal consequences10. According to Dr. Flores, hospitals and clinics ________.A. have seen the need for hiring trained interpretersB. have realized the problems of language barriersC. have begun training their staff to be bilingualsD. have taken steps to provide accurate diagnosis。
08上海听力原文
上海2008年高考英语听力录音原文Text 1M: Will Mrs. Johnson be here tomorrow for the meeting?W: Probably not. She called this afternoon to put off the meeting to next week. Q: When will the meeting be held?Text 2W: It seems Nancy never wants to do anything but play tennis.M: That’s what she likes to do most.Q: What can be inferred about Nancy?Text 3M: So how do you like this oil painting?W: If I had enough room in my apartment, I would buy it.Q: Where does the conversation probably take place?Text 4W: Peter, want to take a walk?M: No, I have to go down to the yard now, I’m building some bookshelves.Q: What will Peter probably do next?Text 5M: The driver is being outside of the taxi for ten minutes now. Shall we hurry up? W: That’s all right. We’re paying him anyway.Q: Who are the speakers talking about?Text 6M: The copying machine is broken again. I’ll call for the service.W: It’s only junk. Just remove the paper stuck in it. I’ll show you.Q: What will the woman do?Text 7M: It’s impossible to find a place to park before the class obtained.W: Yeah, we seem to make more parking areas here.Q: What can we learn from the conversation?Text 8M: Can we make later to work on our presentation?M: How about noon?Q: What does the woman mean?Text 9M: Would you tell me what time the dormitory doors will be locked.W: No problem. In face I can give a copy of the dormitory rules.Q: What does the man want to know?Text 10W: ...Look at this red painter on my dress. Might the park paint the chairs.M: That’s too bad. They might at least put up the sign there.Q: What does the man imply?Passage 1Joanna Lopes has invented a number of things over the years. One day she had an idea for a dish machine that worked without using water. She went to see several dish washer manufacturers about producing the machine. But none of them were interested. Joanna found investors to support her idea and founded her own production company. She spent millions of dollars on developing her dish washer. And it was put to the market three years later. From then on, sales were very good, better even than Joanna had hopped. But Glob Domestic, one of the companies that she has been to see made its own waterless dish washer. Joanna obtained one and found they use the technical ideas she had developed. She had obtained legal protection for these ideas. So that other companies could not use them. After a long legal process, Glob Domestic was forced to stop making its competing dish washer and to pay Joanna several million dollars. Now Joanna’s waterless dish washer has 40℅of the worldwide dish washer market, and this is increasing every year. Question 11: How did the manufacturers fee l Joanna’s idea for a d ish washer?Question 12: Why was Glob Domestic forced to pay Joanna much money?Question 13: What is the story mainly about?Passage 2Attention, please. In a moment, you’ll be starting your tour, but there are just a few things I’d like to warn through. The Glob Gist Islands National Park which has come up some rules which I’d like to read to you now. The most important rule is that no plants or animals or any other natural objects are to be removed from the park. Doing this could harm the balance of the park and it’s also illegal. Also, be careful not to transport any live material, such as seeds and insects to the islands or from one island to another. This two is against the law. All the islands have their own unique plants and animals and any introduced species could destroy the whole system. Please don’t take any food with you. If you drop as much as an orange seed, it could grow into a tree, and damage the existing system. Humans are only temporary visitors to these islands and we want to make sure the only things we leave behind is our foot prints. Now, moving to the wide life of the park, please don’t touch animal and any circumstances, because some animals are remarkably fearless. But they’ll quickly lose this fearlessness if they are reproached by humans. Don’tfeed the animals, don’t leave litter on the islands, or throw any off your boat. Carry along a bag of some sort if you need to put litter in.Question14: What can tourist leave behind?Question 15: What is the most important rule during the tour of the national park? Question 16: Why does the guide emphasize the park rules before the tour?Conversation 1M: Good morning, I’d like to send this package to India.W: I’ll need you to fill in a custom’s form, please.M: Sure. Contents in detail, erm… sweater, value, erm… 50 dollars. weight? Oh, I don’t know the weight.W: Put it on the scale.M: There you go.W: Ok, that’s one pound and a half.M: Really? How much is that in kilograms?W: Oh, over half a kilo. Now, is it in ordinary mail or air mail?M: Ordinary mail, please.W: That’s going to thirteen dollars seventy two.M: Thank you.Conversation 2M: My homework assignment is too hard.W: What is it?M: I’m doing all of the report on the outstanding woman. I choose Stuco Ogata. I have to present it to the class tomorrow.W: Do you know the material?M: I think so.W: Ok, let’s practice. I ask you some questions.M: Ok.W: All right, then. Just why is Stuco Ogata well-known?M: She worked for the United Nations as a high-ranking official on refugees. She worked on the job for ten years and supervised 2200 people.W: En… What are the refugees?M: Well, refuges are people who leave their countries to escape wars or other problems. W: Is the refuge issue a big problem?M: Yes, world wide, now there are about 17 million refugees.W: Wow, last question. Why did you choose Ms. Stuco to fill your report?M: She is successful, she moved to the United States and received a PHD from UC Brooklyn. As a Korea woman, she also got married and had two lovely children.。
专八(2008)听力部分注释
专八(2008)听力部分注释Section A1, lingua franca ['liŋgwə'fræŋkə]n. 通用语2, interlock [,intə'lɔk]v. 连结,连锁3, colonial [kə'ləunjəl]a. 殖民地的4, pilgrim ['pilgrim]朝圣者5, cove [kəuv]小海湾6, convict ['kɔnvikt]囚犯,罪犯7, guardian ['gɑ:djən]监护人8, unify ['ju:nifai]v. 统一,使成一体9, indigenous [in'didʒinəs]土著的10, problematic[prɔblə'mætik]问题的, 有疑问的11, imposition [,impə'ziʃən]强迫接受,施加12, colonizer 殖民者13, institutional [,insti'tju:ʃənəl] 惯例的,制度上的14, Jamaica [dʒə'meikə]牙买加15, Uganda [ju(:)'gændə, u:'gændə]n. 乌干达16, outlet ['autlet, -lit]批发商店,奥特莱斯17, discourse [dis'kɔ:s, 'diskɔ:s]演讲，谈话18, astronomy [ə'strɔnəmi]天文学19, child psychology 儿童心理学20, zoology [zəu'ɔlədʒi]动物学21.default language默认语言22.anywhere between--used for saying that a number or amount is within a particularrange, when you cannot give a single exact figure(数字)介于…之间mander Phillip --Admiral Arthur Phillip RN ( October 11, 1738(1738-10-11)- August 31, 1814 (aged 75) ) was a British naval Admiral and colonial administrator.阿瑟。
专八模拟题—听力原文
Model TestSection A Mini-LectureTeaching Methods for Effective Communication Good evening, everyone. A few months later, you will start to teach international students. Today, we will talk about the teaching methods for effective communication, which are generally helpful for your future teaching career.Teaching methods can help increase communication effectiveness. (1) Clearly organizing ideas and writing an outline on the chalkboard that lists the main points to be covered during the class helps students follow along with the organization of ideas.(2) It is also very helpful for students when teachers write technical terms or theoretical concepts on the board as they are mentioned. Students need and appreciate this effort.When a teacher is unsure about the pronunciation of certain words, those words should also be written on the board. The importance of writing words on the board is illustrated in the following experience of an undergraduate student.“I had a biology professor from Latin America. He gave a lecture on hung trees. I had never heard about that kind of tree before…After class a bunch of us students were talking about the hung trees. The American teacher heard us and asked us what we were talking about. It was really funny. He said the lecture was about young trees, not hung trees!”(3) This example of miscommunication points out the necessity for student participation in the international teacher’s classroom. (4) By setting aside class time for students to explain and discuss their understanding of the course material and the teacher’s lecture or explanations, many communication errors can be corrected before they interfere with student learning.Of course, some difficulties may be assumed to result from language problems when in fact the problem lies elsewhere.“For the foreign teacher, we have a problem with the language. (5) When students don’t understand, it could be a language problem, but it also could be that theteacher doesn’t have good teaching skills. So it’s important to communicate with students to find out what the problem is.”Using effective teaching methods does facilitate classroom communication. (6) As teachers with teaching experience in their native countries already know, when lecturing, it is important to clearly state each point before speaking about it, make the point and then summarize what has been said. (7) Before beginning another idea or point, it’s necessary to inform students of this change or transition.(8) Students are reluctant to continually ask teachers to repeat what they’ve said, even when they haven’t completely understood the teacher. Thus, it is important for teachers to frequently stop to ask if students have any questions. (9) An even better method is to ask questions of the students in order to check their understanding before going on to another topic. (10) Another method often uses by both international and American teachers is presenting the same idea in more than one way.One teacher from France says “As a foreigner and since I don’t speak the language as well as an American, I repeat very often the same thing in different ways. So they may pick it up the way they want during the many times I say it in different ways. It’s a technique I am spontaneously using. I guess it helps them to understand me as a foreigner speaking. And certainly it’s useful for understanding certain things that are very hard to understand…If you say it one time, it’s not enough, so repeating it several ways from different aspects—even making some language mistakes—will help them to pick up the idea.”When giving multiple explanations or examples of the same idea, the teacher should preface each explanation to indicate that the same idea is being explained, only in a different way. Common phrases used to indicate that a different explanation of the same idea is about to be given are:1)“Stated another way…”2)“A simpler explanation of the same idea is…”3)“Said another way…”4)“Let me present another way of understanding this…”5)“The same idea can be explained in this way…”6)“Another example of this is…”7)“I’ll repeat that in a different way…”Although teachers who have had extensive lecture experience in their home countries may already use the lecture techniques described here, it may be necessary to exaggerate these methods to ensure adequate communication.Many effective teachers learn to elicit the help of their students. (11) If the teacher and students have a friendly relationship, students usually are more willing to help facilitate communication in the classroom. In the following statement a teacher from Iran described how he uses certain teaching methods to be sure his students understand him.“I’ve been trying hard to be clear, to say the words separate so that students can understand. (12) Once in a while I stop and ask, ‘Do you follow?’ or ‘Am I clear?’ and pretty much make them feel that any time they can stop me. Anytime they want they can stop me and say, ‘I didn’t get that point’. Then I explain. You have to encourage their questions, say, ‘Good question’, ‘Interesting’, or ‘Who else has a question?’ You have to make them feel comfortable in the class…”(13) Getting students to participate in the class by being friendly and supportive of their comments, ideas, and questions can help both the teacher and the students feel more comfortable in the classroom. (14) When students feel comfortable enough to participate in class, they may be more tolerant of the teacher’s language difficulties and (15) be willing to cooperate with the teacher in solving communication problems.Today, we’ve talked about ways for you, future international teachers, to enhance communication in the classroom. The suggestions are offered as a starting point. By endeavoring to understand communication problems that can occur in the international teacher’s classroom, you can take action to minimize these problems. I hope you would have a good time.Section B ConversationMiriam (W) Frank (M)Now, listen to Part One of the conversation.W: Hello, Frank.M: Hello, Miriam. How nice to see you again. How’s everything going?W: Fine. Busy these days?M: Yeah. With lots of things to do. Would you like to join me for a drink?W: OK, thanks.M: Any news recently?W: Oh, well, yesterday I read the newspaper and got very shocking news. You know, (1/2-1) it’s not the federal government that sets the calendar for our public schools. Public school calendars are set by individual states and districts. (2-2) According to the news, instead of a long summer break, our local school decided to keep students in class year-round with shorter breaks throughout, offering about 20 additional school days.M:(2-3) The students must feel very sad when hearing this news.W: Yeah, I think so. (3) And this idea is gaining increasing popularity. It’s a strategy school districts across the country are experimenting with. Perhaps the most closely watched is in Massachusetts, which has extended class time for 26 of its low-performing schools. The idea has even won the endorsement of both President Obama and his education chief.M: Mm…, (4)I heard that the education chief said in an interview that our current school calendar was based upon the agrarian economy and the vast majority of the students in our country weren’t working the fields in the summers. So he—he thought it was really an outdated, outmoded model. It needed to be changed.W: I don’t agree with him.(5-1)Extending school year seems so completely short-sighted to me. More time is no silver bullet for reform. Take Miami-Dade County Schools in Florida for example, it used an extended day program for three years, but dropped it because they didn’t see improvement in test scores. (5-2) Besides, it—it disrupts family life.This is the end of Part One of the conversation.Question 1to 5 are based on what you have just heard.1.Who set(s) the public school calendars?2.Which of the following statements is NOT the change made to public schoolcalendars?3.Which state experimented with the new public school calendars has gainedthe closest attention?4.Why does the education chief support extending school year?5.According to Miriam, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?Now, listen to Part Two of the conversation.M: Well, surely you must have to admit that we have a significantly shorter school year. I’m worried—er—our students are at a competitive disadvantage with their peers in India and China. Students in those other countries are going to school 210, 220, 230 days a year. Our students are going to school 180 days a year, generally. And I think our students are absolutely smart, absolutely committed, can do extraordinary things. But we have to level the playing field. And if in a sports contest, one team is practicing three days a week and one team is practicing five days a week, the team that is practicing more is going to do better.W:(6) But simply extending school time in and of itself will not produce the desired results. Larry Cuban, a Stanford University professor of education, has argued that what matters most is not the quantity but the quality of time students and teachers spend together in the classroom.M: Well, yes. Mm…, but, extending school time does bring some advantages. (7-1) It gives the students learning experiences that they might not be able to get over the summertime.W: But you ask the teachers and students whether, whether they reckon that extending school time brings them advantages. I think goes without saying that no one wants to extend bad time. The teachers are fatigued at the end of the day, and the students are fatigued and unmotivated. The students need summer break to have a good rest.M: Yes, you are right. (7-2) But without those camps and other stimulating activities, something called summer learning loss occurs. (8)Researchers estimate thatlow-income students can lose two months of math and reading achievement owing to a lack of reinforcement during the summer break. It’s particularly true for low-income kids who don’t have the opportunities that other kids have during those big breaks. W: But have you considered this? Extending the school day is very very expensive. (9) The Miami-Dade program cost more than $100 million.M: Yes, you are right. Really it can result in increased cost because more teachers, specialists, paraprofessionals, and other staff are deployed. (10)But I think it can bring some—some benefits to students and teachers as well, for example, umm, it allows teachers to delve into subject matter in more depth; (7-3) it builds in time for more teacher-to-student interaction; and, it makes it possible for students to spend more time on task.This is the end of Part Two of the conversation.Question 6 to 10 are based on what you have just heard.6.What does Larry Cuban think of extending school year?7.Which of the following has not been cited as the advantage for extendingschool year by Frank?8.What effect may summer vacation have on poor students in researchers’estimation?9.How much does the Miami-Dade program cost?10.What’s Frank’s attitude towards Miriam’s ideas?。
2007-2008年专八（TEM8）真题、答案及听力原文（整理打印版）
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2008)-GRADE EIGHT-TIME LIMIT: 195 MIN PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN)SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.Complete the gap-filling task, some of the gaps below may require a maximum of THREE words. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may refer to your notes.The Popularity of EnglishI. Present status of EnglishA. English as a native/first languageB. English as a lingua franca: a language for communi cation among people whose (1)______ are different (1)_______C. Number of people speaking English as a first or a second language:— 320-380 million native speakers — 250- (2) _____ million speakers of English as a second language (2)_______ II. Reasons for the popular use of EnglishA. (3) ____ reasons (3)_______— the Pilgrim Fathers brought the language to America; — British settlers brought the language to Australia;— English was used as a means of control in (4)_____ (4)_______B. Economic reasons— spread of (5) _____ — language of communi cation iii the international business community (5)_______C. (6)______ in international travel (6)_______— use of English in travel and tourism — signs in airports— language of announcement — language of (7) ______ (7)_______D. Information exchange— use of English in the academic world — language of (8) _____ or journal arti cles (8)_______E. Popular culture— pop music on (9)______ — films from the USA (9)_______ III. Questions to think aboutA. status of English in the futureB. (10) ______ of distinct varieties of English (10)_______ SECTION B CONVERSATIONIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Questions 1 to 5 are based on a conversation. At the end of the conversation you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the conversation.1. Mary doesn't seem to favour the idea of a new airport because _________.A. the existing airports are to be wastedB. more people will be encouraged to travel.C. more oil will be consumed.D. more airplanes will be purchased.2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned by Mary as a potential disadvantage?A. More people in the area.B. Noise and motorways.C. Waste of land.D. Unnecessary travel.3.Freddy has cited the following advantages for a new airport EXCEPT _______.A. more job opportunities.B. vitality to the local economy.C. road construction.D. presence of aircrew in the area.4.Mary thinks that people don't need to do much travel nowadays as a result of _______.A. less emphasis on personal contact.B. advances in modern telecommunications.C. recent changes in people's concepts.D. more potential damage to the area5.We learn from the conversation that Freddy is Mary's ideas,_____.A. strongly in favour ofB. mildly in favour ofC. strongly againstD. mildly againstSECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.6.What is the main idea of the news item?A. A new government was formed after Sunday's elections.B. The new government intends to change the welfare system.C. The Social Democrati c Party founded the welfare system.D. The Social Democratic Party was responsible for high unemployment.Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer thequestions. Now listen to the news.7. The tapes of the Apollo-11 mission were first stored in _______.A. a U.S. government archives warehouse.B. a NASA ground tracking station.C. the Goddard Space Flight Centre.D. none of the above places.8.What does the news item say about Richard Nafzger?A. He is assigned the task to look for the tapes.B. He believes that the tapes are probably lost.C. He works in a NASA ground receiving site.D. He had asked for the tapes in the 1970s.Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.9.The example in the news item is cited mainly to showA. that doctors are sometimes professionally incompetentB. that in cases like that hospitals have to pay huge compensations.C. that language barriers might lower the quality of treatment.D. that language barriers can result in fatal consequences.10. According to Dr. Flores, hospitals and clinicsA. have seen the need for hiring trained interpreters.B. have realized the problems of language barriers.C. have begun training their staff to be bilinguals.D. have taken steps to provide accurate diagnosis.PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your coloured answer sheetTEXT AAt the age of 16, Lee Hyuk Joon's life is a living hell. The South Korean 10th grader gets up at 6 in the morning to go to sc hool, and studies most of the day until returning home at 6 p.m. After dinner, it's time to hit the books again—at one of Seoul's many so-called cram schools. Lee gets back home at 1 in the morning, sleeps less than five hours, then repeats the routine—five days a week. It's a grueling schedule, but Lee worries that it may not be good enough to get him into a top university. Some of hi s classmates study even harder.South Korea's education system has long been highly competitive. But for Lee and the other 700,000 high-school sophomores in the country, high-school studies have gotten even more intense. That's because South Korea has conceived a new college-entrance system, whi ch will be implemented in 2008. This year's 10th graders will be the first group evaluated by the new admissions standard, whi ch places more emphasis on grades in the three years of high school and less on nationwide SA T-style and other selection tests, whi ch have traditionally determined which students go to the elite colleges.The change was made mostly to reduce what the government says is a growing education gap in the country: wealthy students go to the best colleges and get the best jobs, keeping the children of poorer families on the social margins. The aim is to reduce the importance of costly tutors and cram schools, partly to help students enjoy a more normal high-school life. But the new system has had the opposite effect. Before, students didn't worry too much about their grade-point averages; the big challenge was beating the standardized tests as high-school seniors. Now students are competing against one another over a three-year period, and every midterm and final test is crucial. Fretful parents are relying even more heavily on tutors and cram schools to help their children succeed.Parents and kids have sent thousands of angry online letters to the Education Ministry complaining that the new admissions standard is setting students against each other. "One can succeed only when others fail,” as one parent said.Education experts say that South Korea's public secondary-school system is foundering, while private education is thriving. According to critics, the country's high schools are almost uniformly mediocre—the result of an egalitarian government education policy. With the number of elite schools stri ctly controlled by the government, even the brightest students typi cally have to settle for ordinary schools in their neighbourhoods, where the curriculum is centred on average students. To make up for the mediocrity, zealous parents send their kids to the expensive cram school s.Students in affluent southern Seoul neighbourhoods complain that the new system will hurt them the most. Nearly all Korean high schools will be weighted equally in the college-entrance process, and relatively weak students in provincial schools, who may not score well on standardized tests, often compile good grade-point averages.Some universities, particularly prestigious ones, openly complain that they cannot select the best students under the new system because it eliminates differences among high schools. They've asked for more discretion in picking students by gi ving more weight to such screening tools as essay writing or interviews.President Roh Moo Hyun doesn't like how some colleges are trying to circumvent the new system. He recently criticized "greedy" universities that focus more on finding the best students than faying to "nurture good students". But amid the crossfire between the government and universities, the country's 10th graders are feeling the stress. On online protest sites, some are calling themselves a “cursed generation”and “mice in a lab experiment”. It all seems a touch melodramatic, but that's the South Korean school system.11.According to the passage, the new college-entrance system is designed toA. require students to sit for more college-entrance tests.B. reduce the weight of college-entrance tests.C. select students on their high school grades only.D. reduce the number of prospective college applicants.12.What seems to be the effect of introducing the new system?A. The system has given equal opportunities to students.B. The system has reduced the number of cram schools.C. The system has intensified competition among schools.D. The system has increased students' study load.13.According to critics, the popularity of private education is mainly the result of ___.A. the government's egalitarian policy.B. insuffi cient number of schools:C. curriculums of average quality.D. low cost of private education.14.According to the passage, there seems to be disagreement over the adoption of the new system between the following groups EXCEPT ____.A. between universities and the government.B. between school experts and the government.C. between parents and schools.D. between parents and the government.15.Whi ch of the following adjectives best describes the author's treatment of the topic?A. Objective.B. Positive.C. Negative.D. Biased.TEXT BWilfred Emmanuel-Jones was a teenager before he saw his first cow in his first field. Born in Jamaica, the 47-year-old grew up in inner-city Birmingham before making a career as a television producer and launching his own marketing agency. But deep down he al ways nurtured every true Englishman's dream of a rustic life, a dream that his entrepreneurial wealth has allowed him to satisfy. These days he's the owner of a thriving 12-hectare farm in deepest Devon with cattle, sheep and pigs. His latest business venture: pushing his brand of Black Fanner gourmet sausages and barbecue sauces. “My background may be very urban,” says Emmanuel-J ones. “But it has given me a good idea of what other urbanites want.”And of how to sell it. Emmanuel-Jones joins a herd of wealthy fugitives from city life who are bringing a new commercial know-how to British farming. Britain's burgeoning farmers' markets -numbers have doubled to at least 500 in the last five years—swarm with specialty cheesemakers, beekeepers or organic smallholders who are redeploying the business skills they learned in the city. "Everyone in the rural community has to come to terms with the fact that things have changed." Says Emmanuel-Jones. "Y ou can produce the best food in the world, but if you don't know how to market it, you are wasting your time. We are helping the traditionalists to move on."The emergence of the new class of superpeasants reflects some old yearnings. If the British were the first nation to industrialize, they were also the first to head back to the land. "There is this romantic image of the countryside that is parti cularly English," says Alun Howkins of the University of Sussex, who reckons the population of rural England has been rising since 1911. Migration into rural areas is now running at about 100,000 a year, and the hunger for a taste of the rural life has kept land prices buoyant even as agricultural incomes tumble. About 40 percent of all farmland is now sold to "lifestyle buyers" rather than the dwindling number of traditional farmers, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.What's new about the latest returnees is their affluence and zeal for the business of producing quality foods, if only at a micro-level. A healthy economy and surging London house prices have helped to ease the escape of the would-be rustics. The media recognize and feed the fantasy. One of the big TV hits of recent years, the "River Cottage" series, chronicled the attempts of a London chef to run his own Dorset farm.Naturally, the newcomers can't hope to match their City salaries, but many are happy to trade any loss of income for the extr a job satisfaction. Who cares if there's no six-figure annual bonus when the land offers other incalculable compensations? Besides, the specialist producers can at least depend on a burgeoning market for their products. Today's eco-aware generation loves to seek out authenti c ingredients. "People like me may be making a difference in a small way," Jan McCourt, a onetime investment banker now running his own 40-hectare spread in the English Midlands stocked with rare breeds.Optimists see signs of far-reaching change: Britain isn't ca tching up with mainland Europe; it's leading the way. “Unlike most other countries, where artisanal food production is being eroded, here it is being recovered," says food writer Matthew Fort.“It may be the mark of the next stage of civilization that we rediscover the desirability of being a peasant.” And not an investment banker.16.Whi ch of the following details of Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones i s INCORRECT?A. He was born and brought up in Birmingham.B. He used to work in the television industry.C. He is wealthy, adventurous and aspiring.D. He is now selling his own quality foods.17.Most importantly, people like Wilfred have brought to traditional British farmingA. knowledge of farming.B. knowledge of brand names.C. knowledge of lifestyle.D. knowledge of marketing.18.Whi ch of the following does NOT contribute to the emergence of a new class of farmers?A. Strong desire for country life.B. Longing for greater wealth.C. Influence of TV productions.D. Enthusiasm for quality food business.19.What is seen as their additional source of new income?A. Modern tendency to buy natural foods.B. Increase in the value of land property.C. Raising and selling rare live stock. VD. Publicity as a result of media coverage.20.The sentence in t he last paragraph “...Britain isn't catching up with mainland Europe; it's leading the way" implies thatA. Britain has taken a different path to boost economy.B. more authentic foods are being produced in Britain.C. the British are heading back to the countryside.D. the Europeans are showing great interest in country life.TEXT CIn Barcelona the Catalonians call them castells, but these aren't stereotypi cal castles in Spain. These castles are made up of human beings, not stone. The people who perform this agile feat of acrobatics are called castellers, and to see their towers take shape is to observe a marvel of human cooperation.First the castellers form what looks like a giganti c rugby scrummage. They are the foundation blocks of the castle. Behind them, other people press together, forming outward-radiating ramparts of inward-pushing muscle: flying buttresses for the castle. Then sturdy but lighter castellers scramble over the backs of those at the bottom and stand, barefoot, on their shoulders—then still others, each time adding a higher "story".These human towers can rise higher than small apartment buildings: nine “stories”, 35 feet into the air. Then, just When it seems this tower of humanity can't defy gravity any longer, a little kid emerges from the crowd and climbs straight up to the top. Arms extended, the child grins while waving to the cheering crowd far below.Dressed in their traditional costumes, the castellers seem to epitomize an easier time, before Barcelona became a world metropolis arid the Mediterranean's most dynamic city. But when you observe-them tip close, in their street clothes, at practice, you see there's nothing easy about what the castellers do - and that they are not merely reenacting an ancient ritual.None of the castellers can-give a logical answer as to why they love doing this. But V ictor Luna, 16, touches me on the shoulder and says in English: "We do it because it's beautiful. We do it because we are Catalan."Barcelona’s mother tongue is Catalan, and to und erstand Barcelona, you must understand two words of Catalan: seny and rauxa. Seny pretty much translates as common sense, or the ability to make money, arrange things, and get things done. Rauxa is reminiscent of our words “raucous” and “ruckus”.What makes the castellers revealing of the city is that they embody rauxa and seny. The idea of a human castle is rauxa—it defies common sense—but to watch one going up is to see seny in action. Success is based on everyone working together to achieve a shared goal.The success of Carlos Tusquets' bank, Fibanc, shows seny at work in everyday life. The bank started as a family concern and now employs hundreds. Tusquets said it exemplifies how the economy in Barcelona is different.Entrepreneurial seny demonstrates why Barcelona and Catalonia—the ancient region of which Barcelona is the capital—are distinct from the rest of Spain yet essential to Spain's emergence, after centuries of repression, as a prosperous, democratic European country. Catalonia, with Barcelona as its dynamo, has turned into an economic powerhouse. Making up 6 percent of Spain’s territory, with a sixth of its people, it accounts for nearly a quarter of Spain's production—everything from textiles to computers—even though the rest of Spain has been enjoying its own economi c miracle.Hand in hand with seny goes rauxa, and there's no better place to see rauxa in action than on the Ramblas, the venerabl e, tree-shaded boulevard that, in gentle stages, leads you from the centre of Barcelona down to the port. There are two narrow l anes each way for cars and motorbikes, but it’s the wide centre walkway that makes the Ramblas a front-row seat for Barcel ona's longest running theatrical event. Plastic armchairs are set out on the sidewalk. Sit in one of them, and an attendant will come and charge you a small fee. Performance artists throng the Ramblas—stilt walkers, witches caked in charcoal dust, Elvis impersonators. But the real stars are the old women and happily playing children, millionaires on motorbikes, and pimps and women who, upon closer inspection, prove not to be.Aficionados (Fans) of Barcelona love to compare notes: “Last night there was a man standing on the balcony of his hotel room,” Mariana Bertagnolli, an Italian photographer, told me. "The bal c ony was on the second floor. He was naked, and he was talking into a cell phone."There you have it, Barcelona's essence. The man is naked (rauxa), but he is talking into a cell phone (seny).21. From the description in the passage, we learn thatA. all Catalonians can perform castells.B. castells require performers to stand on each other.C. people perform castells in different formations.D. in castells people have to push and pull each other.22. According to the passage, the4mplication of the performance is thatA. the Catalonians are insensible and noisy people.B. the Catalonians show more sense than is expected.C. the Catalonians display paradoxical characteristi cs.D. the Catalonians think highly of team work.23. The passage cites the following examples EXCEPT __________ to show seny at work.A.development of a bankB.dynami c role in economyC.contribution to national economyparison with other regions24. In the last but two paragraph, the Ramblas is described as “a fro nt-row seat for Barcelona’s longest running theatri cal event”. What does it mean?A. On the Ramblas people can see a greater variety of performances.B. The Ramblas provides many front seats for the performances.C. The Ramblas is preferred as an important venue for the events.D. Theatri cal performers like to perform on the Ramblas.25. What is the main impression of the scenes on the Ramblas?A. It is bizarre and Outlandish.B. It is of average quality.C. It is conventional and quiet.D. It is of professional standard. TEXT DThe law firm Patrick worked for before he died filed for bankruptcy protection a year after his funeral. After his death, the firm's letterhead properly included him: Patri ck S. Lanigan, 1954-1992. He was listed up in the right-hand corner, just above the paralegals. Then the rumors got started and wouldn't stop. Before long, everyone believed he had taken the money and disappeared. After three months, no one on the Gulf Coast believed that he was dead. His name came off the letterhead as the debts piled up.The remaining partners in the law firm were still together, attached unwillingly at the hip by the bondage of mortgages and the bank notes, back when they were rolling and on the verge of serious wealth. They had been joint defendants in several unwinnable lawsuits; thus the bankruptcy. Since Patri ck's departure, they had tried every possible way to divorce one another, but nothing would work. Two were raging alcoholics who drank at the office behind locked doors, but nevertogether. The other two were in recovery, still teetering on the brink of sobriety.He took their money. Their millions. Money they had already spent long before it arrived, as only lawyers can do. Money for their richly renovated offi ce building in downtown Biloxi. Money for new homes, yachts, condos in the Caribbean. The money was on the way, approved, the papers signed, orders entered; they could see it, almost touch it when their deadpartner—Patrick—snatched it at the last possible second.He was dead. They buried him on February 11, 1992. They had consoled the widow and put his rotten name on their handsome letterhead. Y et six weeks later, he somehow stole their money.They had brawled over who was to blame. Charles Bogan, the firm's senior partner and its iron hand, had insisted the money be wired from its source into a new account offshore, and this made sense after some discussion. It was ninety million bucks, a third of whi ch the firm would keep, and it would be impossible to hide that kind of money in Biloxi, population fifty thousand. Someone at the bank would talk. Soon everyone would know. All four vowed secrecy, even as they made plans to display as much of their new wealth as possible. There had even been talk of a firm jet, a six-seater.So Bogan took his share of the blame. At forty-nine, he was the oldest of the four, and, at the moment, the most stable. He was also responsible for hiring Patrick nine years earlier, and for this he had received no small amount of grief.Doug V itrano, the litigator, had made the fateful decision to recommend Patrick as the fifth partner. The other three had agreed, and when Patrick Lanigan was added to the firm name, he had access to virtually every file in the office. Bogan, Rapley, V itrano, Havarac, and Lanigan, Attorneys and Counselors-at-Law. A large ad in the yellow pages claimed "Specialists in Offshore Injuries." Specialists or not, like most firms they would take almost anything if the fees were lucrative. Lots of secretaries and paralegals. Big overhead, and the strongest political connections on the Coast.They were all in their mid- to late forties. Havarac had been raised by his father on a shrimp boat. His hands were still proudly calloused, and he dreamed of choking Patrick until his neck snapped. Rapley was severely depressed and seldom left his home, where he wrote briefs in a dark office in the attic.26. What happened to the four remaining lawyers after Patrick's disappearance?A. They all wanted to divorce their wives.B. They were all heavily involved in debts.C. They were all recovering from drinking.D. They had bought new homes, yachts, etc.27. Whi ch of the following statements contains a metaphor?A. His name came off the letterhead as the debts piled up.B. …they could see it, almost tou ch it when their dead partner...C. …, attached unwillingly at the hip by the bondage of mortgages...D. …, and for this he had received no small amount of grief.28. According to the passage, what is the main cause of Patrick stealing the money?A. Patrick was made a partner of the firm.B. The partners agreed to have the money transferred.C. Patri ck had access to all the files in the firm.D. Bogan decided to hire Patrick nine years earlier.29. The lawyers were described as being all the following EXCEPTA. greedy.B. extravagantC. quarrel some.D. bad-tempered.30. Whi ch of the following implies a contrast?A. …, and it would be impossible to hide that kind of money in Biloxi, population fifty thousand.B. They had been joint defendants in several unwinnable lawsuits; thus the bankruptcy.C. There had even been talk of a firm jet, a six-seater.D. His name came off the letterhead as the debts piled up.PART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (10 MIN)There are ten multiple-choice questions in this section. Choose the best answer to each question. Mark your answers on your coloured answer sheet.31. The largest city in Canada is____.A. V ancouver.B. Montreal.C. TorontoD. Ottawa.32. According to the United States Constitution, the legislative power is invested in ____.A. the Federal Government.B. the Supreme Court.C. the Cabinet.D. the Congress.33. Whi ch of the following is the oldest sport in the United States?A. Baseball.B. Tennis.C. Basketball.D. American football.34. The head of the executive branch in New Zealand is _____.A. the President.B. the Governor-General.C. the British monarch,D. the Prime Minister.35. The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, is an important poetic work by _____.A. William Langland.B. Geoffrey Chaucer.C. William Shakespeare.D. Alfred Tennyson.36. Who wrote The Ameri can?A. Herman Melville.B. Nathaniel Hawthorne.C. Henry James.D. Theodore Drei ser.37. All of the following are well-known female writers in 20th -century Britain EXCEPT _____.A. George Eliot.B. Iris Jean Murdoch.C. Doris Lessing.D. Muriel Spark.38. Whi ch of the following is NOT a design feature of human language?A. Arbitrariness.B. Di splacement.C. Duality.D. Diachronicity.39. What type of sentence is “Mark likes fiction, but Tim is interested in poetry.”?A. A simple sentence.B. A coordinate sentence.C. A complex sentence.D. None of the above.40. The phenomenon that words having different meanings have the same form is called ____.A. hyponymy.B. synonymy.C. polysemy.D. homonymy.PART IV PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET TWO as instructed.The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE wor d is。
08年高考英语湖南卷听力录音原文
2008年高考湖南卷英语听力录音原文例题：M: Excuse me, can you tell me how much the shirt is?W:Y e s,i t's 9. 15.(Text 1)M: How much do I need to pay?W: Let me see. Err. . . four dollars, and six dollars, and another six dollars. That's 16 dollars, sir.M: Ok, here is a 20-dollar bill.(Text 2)M: Hurry up, mom. The taxi's come and is waiting downstairs.W: Just a second, honey. I'll get some food in the kitchen. The meals on the train are terrible.(Text 3)M: Has the latest Time magazine arrived yet? Today'salready Wednesday.W: Sorry, it's late. Maybe it will come tomorrow.(Text 4)W: I suppose you have bought some gifts for your family.M: Well, I've bought a shirt for my father and two books for my sister. But for my mother, I haven't decided what to buy yet.(Text 5)W: Good morning, Cress.M: Good morning, Miss Simon.W: Running a bit late, aren't you? The bell's already gone.M: Bus was late, madam.(Text 6)W: Hi, Mr. Brown. Are you flying back to the United States this July?M: Oh, I've changed my plan of going back home. I'm going to Beijing to watch the Olympic Games. And I will probably stay there until late September or early October.W: Wow, how exciting. But I can only watch the Games on TV.(Text 7)W: Excuse me, sir. I'm a tourist here, which train will take me to the zoo, please? M: You need to get to platform 6, take the train on the first line and get off atRocky Hill. That's the third stop.W: Is that where the zoo is?M: You're nearly there. After getting off the train, turn right and you'll se e a hill in front of you. Walk up to the top of the hill and you'll see signs pointing to the zoo.W: Many thanks. One ticket to Rocky Hill, please.(Text 8)W: Are you finish ing packing?M: Almost. I'll just have to check my temp one last time.W: Ok, err, don't forget your camera. You need to take some pictures for your grandpa. M: Yes, I've put it in, mom.W: All right, then. Oh, what about shoes and clothes? You may need another pair of shoes and an overcoat.M: Mom, it's just a camping trip, not a travel abroad. I'll get back in no more than 24 hours.W: All right, then. I was just trying to be helpful. I'm sure you'll havea great time.(Text 9)W: I wish those people across the street would turn their music down. It's so loud. M: I know, darling. I just can't sleep. They are only allowed to play music up until 10:30 on week nights, and it's already 11:30.W: I’ll have a really important meeting tomorrow morning. And I'll have to go and see the doctor in the afternoon. If they don't-be quiet soon, I'll never get to sleep.M: We should go up to their house and ask them to turn it down.W: Well, I really don't want to talk to them. They are not very friendly people. M: Anyway, we can at least try. If they don't listen, we'll just pick up the phone and call the police.W: That sounds like a good idea. Let's get dressed.(Text 10)Welcome to Happy Go, your fantastic shopping heaven. Are you annoyed by the quality of your sleep? Do you count from one to one thousand, but still find yourself awake? Don't worry, try Dreamer. It can help you fall asleep fast and won't affect your memory. Just take one piece half an hour before going to bed, you'll get a good sleep at night and a sharp mind during the day. Also, you can ask your doctor if Dreameris right for you. For more information, please call 8008668877 or visit . If you call us within 24 hours, you can get Dreamer free for 7 nights. Don't wait, because your dreams miss you. Your Dream, Our Dreamer!。
08年英语专业八级全真试题（3）
TEXT B Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones was a teenager before he saw his first cow in his first field. Born in Jamaica, the 47-year-old grew up in inner-city Birmingham before making a career as a television producer and launching his own marketing agency. But deep down he always nurtured every true Englishmans dream of a rustic life, a dream that his entrepreneurial wealth has allowed him to satisfy. These days hes the owner of a thriving 12-hectare farm in deepest Devon with cattle, sheep and pigs. His latest business venture: pushing his brand of Black Fanner gourmet sausages and barbecue sauces. “My background may be very urban,” says Emmanuel-Jones. “But it has given me a good idea of what other urbanites want.” And of how to sell it. Emmanuel-Jones joins a herd of wealthy fugitives from city life who are bringing a new commercial know-how to British farming. Britains burgeoning farmers markets -numbers have doubled to at least 500 in the last five years —swarm with specialty cheesemakers, beekeepers or organic smallholders who are redeploying the business skills they learned in the city. "Everyone in the rural community has to come to terms with the fact that things have changed." Says Emmanuel-Jones. "You can produce the best food in the world, but if you dont know how to market it, you are wasting your time. We are helping the traditionalists to move on." The emergence of the new class of superpeasants reflects some old yearnings. If the British were the first nation to industrialize, they were also the first to head back to the land. "There is this romantic image of the countryside that is particularly English," says Alun Howkins of the University of Sussex, who reckons the population of rural England has been rising since 1911. Migration into rural areas is now running at about 100,000 a year, and the hunger for a taste of the rural life has kept land prices buoyant even as agricultural incomes tumble. About 40 percent of all farmland is now sold to "lifestyle buyers" rather than the dwindling number of traditional farmers, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Whats new about the latest returnees is their affluence and zeal for the business of producing quality foods, if only at a micro-level. A healthy economy and surging London house prices have helped to ease the escape of the would-be rustics. The media recognize and feed the fantasy. One of the big TV hits of recent years, the "River Cottage" series, chronicled the attempts of a London chef to run his own Dorset farm. Naturally, the newcomers cant hope to match their City salaries, but many are happy to trade any loss of income for the extra job satisfaction. Who cares if theres no six-figure annual bonus when the land offers other incalculable compensations? Besides, the specialist producers can at least depend on a burgeoning market for their products. Todays eco-aware generation loves to seek out authentic ingredients. "People like me may be making a difference in a small way," Jan McCourt, a onetime investment banker now running his own 40-hectare spread in the English Midlands stocked with rare breeds.Optimists see signs of far-reaching change: Britain isnt catching up with mainland Europe; its leading the way.“Unlike most other countries, where artisanal food production is being eroded, here it is being recovered," says food writer Matthew Fort. ”It may be the mark of the next stage of civilization that we rediscover the desirability of being a peasant.“ And not an investment banker. 16. Which of the following details of Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones is INCORRECT? A. He was born and brought up in Birmingham. B. He used to work in the television industry. C. He is wealthy, adventurous and aspiring. D. He is now selling his own quality foods. 17. Most importantly, people like Wilfred have brought to traditional British farming A. knowledge of farming. B. knowledge of brand names. C. knowledge of lifestyle. D. knowledge of marketing, 18. Which of the following does NOT contribute to the emergence of a new class of farmers? A. Strong desire for country life. B. Longing for greater wealth, C. Influence of TV productions. D. Enthusiasm for quality food business. 19. What is seen as their additional source of new income? A. Modern tendency to buy natural foods. B. Increase in the value of land property. C. Raising and selling rare live stock. V D. Publicity as a result of media coverage. 20. The sentence in the last paragraph “……Britain isnt catching up with mainland Europe; its leading the way" implies that A. Britain has taken a different path to boost economy. B. more authentic foods are being produced in Britain. C. the British are heading back to the countryside. D. the Europeans are showing great interest in country life.。
专八听力原文
听力原文Part 1, Listening ComprehensionSection A, Mini-LectureI think as seniors, you are often required by your instructors to do some library research on this topic or that. And, in the end, you have to write a research paper, right? Then what is writing a research paper like? How are we going to write one? What are the steps in producing a research paper and what are the points we need to take care of? In today’s lecture, I’ll try to answer these questions.First of all, what is writing a research paper like? We may start by comparing it to an ordinary essay, a form of writing you are very familiar with. Writing a research paper is much like writing an essay. Both kinds of writing involve many of the same basic steps. That is, choosing a topic, asking questions to define and develop the topic, identifying the audience, getting raw material to work with, outlining the paper, writing it, and, finally, revising it. These are the steps shared between research paper writing and essay writing.Is there any difference, you may ask. Yes. What makes a research paper different is that much of your raw material comes not from your own head, but from printed sources: mainly books and periodicals in the library. Collecting raw material, that is reading books and taking notes, is very much like the process of brainstorming at the prewriting stage of an ordinary essay.Generally speaking, there are two basic types of research papers, and a paper may belong to either type. It may be a survey of facts and opinions available on a given topic or an analytical argument that uses those facts and opinions to prove a point. Your instructor may tell you which kind of paper you are expected to write. If not, you yourself should eventually choose between surveying and arguing. You will then have a definite way of managing your sources.Now, let’s take a look at how you are going to write a survey-type research paper or an argumentative research paper. In a survey-type research paper, you gather facts and a variety of opinions on a given topic. You make little attempt to interpret or evaluate what your sources say or to prove a particular point. Instead, through quotation, summary, and paraphrase, you try to provide a representative sampling of facts and opinions to give an objective report on your topic. You explain the pros and cons of various attitudes or opinions, but you don’t side definitely with any one of them.While in an argumentative research paper, you do considerably more. You do not simply quote, paraphrase, and summarize as you do in a survey-type paper. You interpret, question, compare, and judge the statements you cite. You explain why one opinion is sound and another is not; why one fact is relevant and another is not; why one writer is correct and another is mistaken. Wha t’s more, your purpose may vary with your topic. You may try to explain a situation to recommend a course of action, to reveal the solution to a problem, or to present and defend a particular interpretation of a historical event or a work of art. But whether the topic is space travel or trends in contemporary American literature, an argumentative research paper deals actively – I say it again,actively – with the statements it cites. It makes these statements work together in an argument that you create, that is, to an argument leading to a conclusion of your own.In the next part of the lecture, I’d like to talk about one of the basic steps in writing I mentioned earlier in the lecture. That is how to choose a topic. Choosing a topic for a research paper is in some ways like choosing a topic for an ordinary essay, but there are some differences. As you think about your topic, ask yourself these questions:Question number one: Do you really want to know more about this topic? This is the initial question you have to ask yourself, because research on any subject will keep you busy for weeks. You certainly do not wish to waste your time on something you have little interest in. You do it well only if you expect to learn something interesting or important in the process.Question number tw Are you likely to find many sources of information on this topic? You cannot write a research paper without consulting a variety of sources. If only one source or none at all is readily available, you should rethink your topic or choose another.Question number three: Can you cut the topic down to a manageable size? Be reasonable and realistic about what you can do in a short period, say, two to four weeks. If your topic is ―The American Revolution‖, you’ll scarcely have time to make a list of books on your subject, let alone read and analyze them. So try to find something specific, such as ―The Role of Thomas Jefferson in the American Revolution‖ or ―The Franco-American Alliance‖Question number four: What questions can you ask about the topic itself? Questions help you get the topic down to a manageable size, discover its possibilities, and find the goal of your research, that is, the specific problem you want to investigate. Suppose you want to write about the issue of financing a college education – A topic not only current, but also directly linked to the lives of most college students and their families. You could ask at least two or three pointed questions: How much does educational opportunity depend on financial status? Is financial aid going to the students who need it most? How much should universities and colleges charge their students? You can ask yourself these questions or more as you start work on the research paper.Okay. To sum up, in today’s lecture, we’ve looked at some of the issues in research paper writing, like the basic steps, types of research paper, and how to choose a topic. In our next lecture, we’ll concentrate on how to identify the audience, how to work out an outline, and how to edit the draft.Section B, InterviewM: Today, we’ve Professor McKay on our morning talk show. Good morning, Professor McKay.W: Good morning.M: I’ve heard that you and your team have just completed a report on old age. W: That’s right.M: Could you tell me what your report is about?W: Well, the report basically looks into the various beliefs that people hold about old age and tries to verify them.M: And what do you think your report can achieve?W: We hope that it will somehow help people to change their feelings about old age. The problem is that far too many of us believe that most old people are poor, lonely, and unhappy. As a result, we tend to find old people, as a group, unattractive. And this is very dangerous for our society.M: But surely we cannot escape the fact that many old people are lonely and many are sick.W: No, we can’t. But we must also remember that the proportion of such people is no greater among the 60-70 age group than among the 50-60 age group. M: In other words, there is no more mental illness, for example, among the 60s-70s than among the 50s-60s.W: Right! And why should there be? Why should we expect people to suddenly change when they reach their 60th or 60th birthday any more than they did when they reached their 21st?M: But one would expect there to be more physical illness among old people, surely.W: Why should one expect this? After all, those people who reach the age of 65 or 70 are the strong among us. The weak die mainly in childhood, then in their 40s and 50s. Furthermore, by the time people reach 60 or 65, they have learnedhow to look after themselves. They keep warm, sleep regular hours, and eat sensibly. Of course, some old people do suffer from physical illnesses, but these do not suddenly develop on their 65th birthday. People who are healthy in middle age tend to be healthy in old age, just as one would expect.M: Do you find that young people these days are not as concerned about their parents as their parents were about theirs?W: We have found nothing that suggests that family feeling is either dying or dead. There do not appear to be large numbers of young people who are trying, for example, to have their dear old mother locked up in a mental hospital. M: Don’t many more parents live apart from their married children then used to be the case?W: True, but this is because many more young families can afford to own their own homes these days than ever before. In other words, parents and their married children usually live in separate households because they prefer it that way, not because the children refuse to have mum and dad living with them. M: Is this a good thing, do you think?W: I think that it’s an excellent arrangement. We all like to keep part of our lives private, even from those we love dearly. I certainly don’t think that it’s a sign of the increased loneliness of old age.M: Are people’s mental abilities affected by old age?W: Certain changes do take place as we grow older, but this happens throughout life. These changes are very gradual and happen at different times with different people, but, in general, if you know a person well in his middle age and have seen how he deals with events and problems, you will easily recognize him in old age.M: So that someone who enjoys new experiences, travel, education, and so on in his middle years will usually continue to do so into old age?W: Exactly. We have carried out some very interesting experiments in which a group of people aged 60-70 and a group aged 30-40 had to learn the same things. The first thing we discovered was that the young group tends to be quicker at learning than the old group. However, although the old group took longer to learn, eventually, they performed as well as the young group. And when we tested the two groups several weeks later, there was again no difference between the two groups.M: That’s very interesting indeed. What else did your experiments show?W: Well, one group of old people agreed to attend evening classes for a year to study English and mathematics. In fact, most of this group became so interested in their studies that they continued them for another year. Anyway, we discovered that they did best in the English classes and that most of them steadily improved their ability to communicate in both the written and the spoken language.M: What about the group who studied mathematics?W: Well, that’s a different story. There seems to be no doubt that people find maths more difficult as they grow older. Though, why this is so, I cannot say. M: Perhaps pocket calculators will solve this problem.W: I think you’re right. In fact, I’m sure that you are.M: Okay. Time for a commercial. Stay tuned; we’ll be right back.Section C: News ItemsQuestion 6M: Scientists in Brazil claim they’ve come up with a new way of treating burns. That is, with frog skin. Researchers say it is cheap and effective. The frog skin has components that diminish the growth of bacteria, making the wound heal faster and reducing the amount of time that patient has to stay in hospital. Researchers said the method had already been successfully used in some hospitals in Brazil.Question 7W: Once a source of high-pitched business activity, Japan’s karaoke industry has slowed down. Japanese have less to sing about amid sustained economic problems. Karaoke firms are now striving to develop new ideas to attractcost-conscious karaoke singers. These include a new, high-tech machine that allows people to sing like famous singers and theme rooms on some of the Asian cartoon figures targeted at younger crowds. The new karaoke machine is being developed by a professor from the US Massachusetts Institute of Technology.The machine uses a technology called C-Sound that automatically adjusts the speed and tone of any song being played to match the tempo and key the singer is using. The tempo can be adjusted manually on conventional karaoke machines, but the new product is the first machine to do it automatically. Question 8M: The China Internet Network Information Center said this week that the nation’s online community is expanding at a rap id pace, with 8.9 million users added in the first half of the year, from January to June. China’s Internet population hit 68 million by the end of June, the world’s second-largest figure after the United States. The figure was 10 million at the end of 2000 and 1.5 million in 1997. ―Cyberspace is a force to be reckoned with in China,‖ said Chen Hua Lin, a senior Internet analyst at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Netizens between the ages of 18 and 30 are the driving force. They spend 13 hours every week surfing the Internet, on average. Their major purpose is obtaining information or having fun. At the same time, only 0.2 percent listed online shopping, e-business, and online learning as their main activity. As the number of China’s Internet users grows, s o does the junk mail. 8.3 e-mails out of 16 TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2005) -GRADE EIGHT-PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after themini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.Writing a Research PaperI. Research Papers and Ordinary EssayA. Similarity in (1) __________:e.g. —choosing a topic—asking questions—identifying the audienceB. Difference mainly in terms of (2) ___________1. research papers: printed sources2. ordinary essay: ideas in one's (3) ___________II. Types and Characteristics of Research PapersA. Number of basic types: twoB. Characteristics:1. survey-type paper:—to gather (4) ___________—to quote—to (5) _____________The writer should be (6) ___________.2. argumentative (research) paper:a. The writer should do more, e.g.—to interpret—to question, etc.b. (7) _________varies with the topic, e.g.—to recommend an action, etc.III. How to Choose a Topic for a Research PaperIn choosing a topic, it is important to (8) __________.Question No. 1: your familiarity with the topicQuestion No. 2: Availability of relevant information on the chosen topic Question No. 3: Narrowing the topic down to (9) _________Question No. 4: Asking questions about (10) ___________The questions help us to work out way into the topic and discover its possibilities.SECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.1. What is the purpose of Professor McKay's report?A. To look into the mental health of old people.B. To explain why people have negative views on old age.C. To help correct some false beliefs about old age.D. To identify the various problems of old age2. Which of the following is NOT Professor McKay's view?A. People change in old age a lot more than at the age of 21.B. There are as many sick people in old age as in middle age.C. We should not expect more physical illness among old people.D. We should not expect to find old people unattractive as a group.3. According to Professor McKay's report,A. family love is gradually disappearing.B. it is hard to comment on family feeling.C. more children are indifferent to their parents.D. family love remains as strong as ever.4. Professor McKay is ________ towards the tendency of more parents living apart from their children.A. negativeB. positiveC. ambiguousD. neutral5. The only popular belief that Professor McKay is unable to provide evidence against isA. old-age sickness.B. loose family ties.C. poor mental abilities.D. difficulities in maths.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.6. Scientists in Brazil have used frog skin toA. eliminate bacteria.B. treat burns.C. Speed up recovery.D. reduce treatment cost.Question 7 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.7. What is NOT a feature of the new karaoke machine?A. It is featured by high technology.B. It allows you to imitate famous singers.C. It can automatically alter the tempo and tone of a song.D. It can be placed in specially designed theme rooms.Question 8 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.8. China's Internet users had reached _________ by the end of June.A. 68 millionB. 8.9 millionC. 10 millionD. 1.5 millionQuestion 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.9. According to the WTO, Chinese exports rose _________ last year.A. 21%B. 10%C. 22%D. 4.7310. According to the news, which trading nation in the top 10 has reported a 5 per cent fall in exports?A. The UK.B. The US.C. Japan.D. Germany.PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)TEXT AI remember meeting him one evening with his pushcart. I had managed to sell all my papers and was coming home in the snow. It was that strange hour in downtown New York when the workers were pouring homeward in the twilight.I marched among thousands of tired men and women whom the factory whistleshad unyoked. They flowed in rivers through the clothing factory districts, then down along the avenues to the East Side.I met my father near Cooper Union. I recognized him, a hunched, frozen figure in an old overcoat standing by a banana cart. He looked so lonely, the tears came to my eyes. Then he saw me, and his face lit with his sad, beautiful smile -Charlie Chaplin's smile."Arch, it's Mikey," he said. "So you have sold your papers! Come and eat a banana."He offered me one. I refused it. I felt it crucial that my father sell his bananas, not give them away. He thought I was shy, and coaxed and joked with me, and made me eat the banana. It smelled of wet straw and snow."You haven't sold many bananas today, pop," I said anxiously.He shrugged his shoulders."What can I do? No one seems to want them."It was true. The work crowds pushed home morosely over the pavements. The rusty sky darkened over New York building, the tall street lamps were lit, innumerable trucks, street cars and elevated trains clattered by. Nobody and nothing in the great city stopped for my father's bananas."I ought to yell," said my father dolefully. "I ought to make a big noise like other peddlers, but it makes my throat sore. Anyway, I'm ashamed of yelling, it makes me feel like a fool. "I had eaten one of his bananas. My sick conscience told me that I ought to pay for it somehow. I must remain here and help my father."I'll yell for you, pop," I volunteered."Arch, no," he said, "go home; you have worked enough today. Just tell mommaI'll be late."But I yelled and yelled. My father, standing by, spoke occasional words of praise, and said I was a wonderful yeller. Nobody else paid attention. The workers drifted past us wearily, endlessly; a defeated army wrapped in dreams of home. Elevated trains crashed; the Cooper Union clock burned above us; the sky grew black, the wind poured, the slush burned through our shoes. There were thousands of strange, silent figures pouring over the sidewalks in snow. None of them stopped to buy bananas. I yelled and yelled, nobody listened.My father tried to stop me at last. "Nu," he said smiling to console me, "that was wonderful yelling. Mikey. But it's plain we are unlucky today! Let's go home."I was frantic, and almost in tears. I insisted on keeping up my desperate yells. But at last my father persuaded me to leave with him.11. "unyoked" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning toA. sent outB. releasedC. dispatchedD. removed12. Which of the following in the first paragraph does NOT indicated crowds of people?A.Thousands ofB. FlowedC. PouringD. Unyoked13. Which of the following is intended to be a pair of contrast in the passage?A. Huge crowds and lonely individuals.B. Weather conditions and street lamps.C. Clattering trains and peddlers' yells.D. Moving crowds and street traffic.14. Which of the following words is NOT suitable to describe the character of the son?A. CompassionateB. ResponsibleC. ShyD. Determined15. What is the theme of the story?A. The misery of the factory workers.B. How to survive in a harsh environment.C. Generation gap between the father and the son.D. Love between the father and the son.16. What is the author's attitude towards the father and the son?A. IndifferentB. SympatheticC. AppreciativeD. Difficult to tellTEXT BWhen former President Ronald Reagan fell and broke his hip two weeks ago, he joined a group of more than 350,000 elderly Americans who fracture their hips each year. At 89 and suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease, Reagan is in one of the highest-risk groups for this type of accident. The incidence of hip fractures not only increases after age 50 but doubles every five to six years as the risk of falling increases. Slipping and tumbling are not the only causes of hip fractures; weakened bones sometimes break spontaneously. But falling is the major cause, representing 90% of all hip fractures. These... ...17. The following are all specific measures to guard against injuries with the EXCEPTION ofA. removal of throw rugs.B. easy access to devicesC. installation of grab barsD. re-arrangement of furniture18. In which paragraph does the author state his purpose of writing?A. The third paragraphB. The first paragraphC. The last paragraphD. The last but one paragraph19. The main purpose of the passage is toA. offer advice on how to prevent hip fracturesB. emphasize the importance of health precautionsC. discuss the seriousness of hip fractures.D. identify the causes of hip fractures.TEXT C提示：原文同2003年专八英译汉翻译试题相同In his classic novel, "The Pioneers", James Fenimore Cooper has his hero, a land developer, take his cousin on a tour of the city he is building. He describes the broad streets, rows of houses, a teeming metropolis. But his cousin looks around bewildered. All she sees is a forest. "Where are the beauties and improvements which you were to show me?" she asks. He's astonished she can't see them. "Where! Everywhere," he replies. For though they are not yet built on earth, he has built them in his mind, and they as concrete to him as if they were already constructed and finished.Cooper was illustrating a distinctly American trait, future-mindedness: the ability to see the present from the vantage point of the future; the freedom to feel unencumbered by the past and more emotionally attached to things to come. As Albert Einstein once said, "Life for the American is always becoming, never being."... ...20. The third paragraph examines America's future-mindedness from the_________ perspective.A. futureB. realisticC. historicalD. present21. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT brought about by future-mindedness?A. Economic stagnationB. Environmental destructionC. High divorce ratesD. Neglect of history22. The word "pooh-pooh" in the sixth paragraph meansA. appreciateB. praiseC. shunD. ridicule23. According to the passage, people at present can forecast ________ of a new round of future-mindedness.A. the natureB. the locationC. the varietyD. the features24. The author predicts in the last paragraph that the study offuture-mindedness will focus onA. how it comes into beingB. how it functionsC. what it brings aboutD. what it is related to.TEXT D25. The phrase "men's sureness of their sex role" in the first paragraph suggests that theyA. are confident in their ability to charm women.B. take the initiative in courtship.C. have a clear idea of what is considered "manly".D. tend to be more immoral than women are.26. The third paragraph does NOT claim that menA. prevent women from taking up certain professions.B. secretly admire women's intellect and resolution.C. doubt whether women really mean to succeed in business.D. forbid women to join certain clubs and societies.27. The third paragraphA. generally agrees with the first paragraphB. has no connection with the first paragraphC. repeats the argument of the second paragraphD. contradicts the last paragraph28. At the end of the last paragraph the author uses humorous exaggeration in order toA. show that men are stronger than womenB. carry further the ideas of the earliest paragraphsC. support the first sentence of the same paragraphD. disown the ideas he is expressing29. The usual idea of the cave man in the last paragraphA. is based on the study of archaeologyB. illustrates how people expect men to behaveC. is dismissed by the author as an irrelevant jokeD. proves that the man, not woman, should be the wooer30. The opening quotation from Margaret Mead sums up a relationship between man and woman which the authorA. approves ofB. argues is naturalC. completely rejectsD. expects to go on changingPART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (10 MIN)31. ______ is the capital city of Canada.A. VancouverB. OttawaC. MontrealD. York32. U.S. presidents normally serves a (an) _________term.A. two-yearB. four-yearC. six-yearD. eight-year33. Which of the following cities is NOT located in the Northeast, U.S.?A. Huston.B. Boston.C. Baltimore.D. Philadelphia.34. ________ is the state church in England.A. The Roman Catholic Church.B. The Baptist ChurchC. The Protestant ChurchD. The Church of England注：The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion.35. The novel Emma is written byA. Mary Shelley.B. Charlotte Brontë.C. Elizabeth C. Gaskell.D. Jane Austen.36. Which of following is NOT a romantic poet?A. William Wordsworth.B. George Elliot.C. George G. Byron.D. Percy B. Shelley.37. William Sidney Porter, known as O. Henry, is most famous forA. his poems.B. his plays.C. his short stories.D. his novels注：O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 - June 5, 1910), He was famous for his short stories and a master of the surprise ending, O. Henry is remembered best for such enduring favorites as "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief." The combination of humor and sentiment found in his stories is the basis of their universal appeal.38. Syntax is the study ofA. language functions.B. sentence structures.C. textual organization.D. word formation.注：Definition of Syntax:。
专八真题听力原文及答案解析
专八真题听力原文及答案解析听力是英语考试中的重要组成部分，对于提高听力能力以及提高考试得分有着至关重要的作用。
准备专八考试的考生不可忽视掌握的重要性。
本文将为大家提供一些专八真题听力原文及答案的解析，希望能够给大家带来帮助。
1. 学术演讲：原文：The speaker discusses the development of modern science and how it has changed our lives. He mentionsdifferent areas of scientific research and technological advancements that have had significant impacts on society. He highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaborationin solving complex problems and encourages young scientiststo pursue their passion for discovery.答案解析：这篇学术演讲讨论的是现代科学的发展以及它对我们生活的影响。
演讲者提到了不同的科学研究领域和技术进步对社会产生的重大影响。
他强调了跨学科的合作在解决复杂问题中的重要性，并鼓励年轻科学家追求他们对探索的热情。
2. 新闻报道：原文：The news report covers the recent increase in carbon emissions and its impact on global climate change. It discusses the various sources of carbon emissions, includingindustrial activities, transportation, and deforestation. The report also mentions the efforts being made by governments and organizations to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices.答案解析：这则新闻报道涵盖了最近碳排放量的增加以及它对全球气候变化的影响。
英语专八10套标准听力听力原文
Test 1听力原文SECTION A MINI-LECTUREHow Practice Can Damage Your EnglishGood morning, everyone. Today, I am going to talk about the negative role of practice in English learning.If you ask “How can I learn to speak English better?”, many people will tell you “Practice, practice, practice”. “Speak and write in English whenever you can”—they will say. All English classes are full of activities which involve speaking and writing which are supposed to help you with your English.We agree that practice can be very useful. It’s even necessary to learn English well. So what’s the problem? The problem is that for many learners, “speaking” or “writing” means “making a lot of mistakes”. Some people make a mistake in every sentence! If you don’t make many mistakes, then you can speak or write in English and it can only help. [1]But if you make many mistakes, then every time you write or speak, you reinforce your mistakes. As you write or speak, you repeat your mistakes constantly and your incorrect habits become stronger.Imagine this situation: You are writing an e-mail message in English. Your English is not perfect and you want to write the message quickly. You write incorrectly: “I want speak English.” When you write a sentence, you also read it. So the incorrect sentence goes into your head. The next time you write a message, you will be more likely to write “I want finish” or “I want be happy”. Why? Because “I want speak English” is fresh in your head—you’ve just used it! And when you write “I want do something” the second time, you’ve got a “bad habit”, or a reinforced mistake.Now do you see our point? You write—you make mistakes—those mistakes become your habit, they become your way of writing in English. [2]So, the more you write, the worse your English becomes. We have said that you need practice to learn English. We have also said that when you practice, you reinforce your mistakes.Michal suggests a simple solution to this paradox: Never make mistakes! According to what he says, it is close to the truth that you have never written an incorrect English sentence. You knew many grammatical structures and you used only those that you knew. Your sentences were similar to sentences which you knew to be correct. You followed good examples, so all your sentences were good. In the beginning, you could write only very simple sentences, but all the simple sentences were correct. [3]Then as you advanced, you added more and more complicated structures, and again all your sentences were correct. Because of this approach, you were never reinforcing bad habits. You never had any bad habits! From the beginning, you copied only correct sentences. With every sentence that you wrote, you reinforced your good habits.[4]On the other side, if you make many mistakes, speaking and writing is not the way to eliminate them! On the contrary, it reinforces them, as we have shown earlier.You have to realize that speaking does not improve your grammar or your vocabulary. It’s really very simple. Can you learn a new word from yourself? If you don’t know how to say “Good bye” in English, can you invent it by yourself? No, you can’t. You can only learn it by reading or listening to English. So what you should do if you can’t help but make mistakes in your Englishsentences? If you make mistakes, that means you don’t know how to say things in English. You need to learn how to say them. You won’t learn that by speaking or writing. [5]You must read and listen to correct English sentences. You can speak and write later—when you can already build correct English sentences and want to improve your fluency. Perhaps you can benefit from corrections if you get a few corrections per week. But when there are many mistakes, you become unable to concentrate on them. If a teacher returns your composition with 20 corrected mistakes, how many of these corrections can you keep in your mind? Besides, your teacher is not always there. What if you’re writing an e-mail message on your own or talking to someone else? Other people usually ignore your mistakes, and even your teacher does not point out all of them.[6]The conclusion would be that fighting your mistakes is not easy, so it’s better to avoid making mistakes altogether.First, try to be more careful by using the rules of error-free speaking. If you still make a lot of mistakes, or if you find that the rules are killing your motivation, you probably shouldn’t open your mouth just now. Instead, try to get more input by reading and listening in English. True, but believe us—you can learn English with almost no mistakes. How? [7]You can fill your brain with correct sentences and imitate them. You can simply follow good examples.Moreover, sometimes you can say or write something which you think is wrong. You can do it if you want to learn how to say something in English. [8]For example, if you are talking to a native speaker, you can do this: First, say “I’m not sure how to say this in English, but...” and then say your sentence which is probably wrong. And the other person can tell you how to say it in English correctly. From that you learn the correct way to say the sentence.[9]Notice that this technique is only safe if you know that you are saying something which may be wrong, or you are sure that the other person will correct you if you make a mistake. And [10]you use it only occasionally.In summary, it should be noted that practice can also serve as a negative factor in English learning. Hope all of you can find the solution to it from today’s lecture.SECTION B INTERVIEWM: It’s been nearly many years since Madonna first made headlines for trying to adopt a small child from the African nation of Malawi. And she’s since become a voice for the more than 1 million children or orphans in that country and now she’s behind the film on that subject. And tonight, we have Madonna here on our show. Welcome, Madonna.W: Thanks.M: Well... We watched your film I Am Because We Are last night... and it’s amazing. Why have you felt the commitment to help those children?W: [1]Something about their situation connected to me, and in a way I was going on my own journey and connecting to these children and wanting to in a way heal myself whilst helping them.M: And hearing about their suffering? Something opened to you?W: Yeah. [1]I grew up as a motherless child. I had a roof over my head and I had food and I had a school to go to. And I still thought that my world was going to collapse on me, so how could itbe for these children who, most of them, having lost both of their parents, having no roof over their head, no food to eat, how horrifying and frightening it must be for them!M: You know, I wonder how this revelation came to you, you know, this is going to be a thing, for you. [2]This is not how people see you.W: I think having children and having a family force you to think about people besides yourself, I mean you don’t really have a choice, I think I just got to a point in my life. I thought I have so much, and it’s a great tragedy if I don’t use what I have to make the world a better place. I know that sounds silly, or cheesy, or like a cliché, whatever... but it’s the truth. If I was challenging people to open up their minds and their hearts, then I had to be willing to stand at the front of the line. And... and I appreciate and understand how people could be cynical, that’s fine, I accept that.M: Why do you appreciate that people can be cynical?W: [3]Because I think we live in a society, that, where people are naturally suspicious of acts of altruism or generosity.M: Or maybe they might be suspicious because they might think, well, you know, Madonna changes all the time. Is this simply another fad, a trend, or just a new; is this something that is really core to Madonna.W: My re-inventions are part of my evolution and my growth as a person. They’re aspects of it that are full of lesson. They are aspects of it that are real. I don’t see how anybody who really understands how complicated it is to adopt a child could say that someone toasts to do that as a fad. It’s just too difficult... it’s too traumatic.M: It’s been hard then to adopt David.W: We have not even been granted the full adoption. It’s supposed to be happening in the next month. So for the last 18 months I have been a foster parent. [4]I have been visited every 6 weeks by social workers who come into the house and make sure that you are being a good parent, and David’s health is thriving, and asking you all kinds of invasive questions, and you have to put up with it and endure it and you know, I have been fingerprinted about 20 times, and[4]undergone psychological evaluations and I think everybody who goes through adoption hasto do this. I am not alone and, but you know, I’d do it again.M: You would?W: Yeah.M: Why?W: Because David is amazing, because he’s brought so much joy to our lives and more than about him. And so, it was worthy. I think most people will suffer for the things they love.M: And now at this point in your life, it seems you’re opening, to some part of you, it’s softening, something that is looking for wisdom, usefulness.W: Well, thank God.M: Em... what do you mean by that?W: Well, thank God I am searching for wisdom and usefulness. Em, one hopes that one gets to that point in their lives sooner or later.M: Do you wish that you could just be anonymous?W: No, no...M: No?W: I mean, yeah, I have moments of it, but I don’t wanna wish that I am not me, I don’t wish I were someone else.M: What is it that you want to feel about your life?W: [5]That my soul reached its true potential. And that I did everything that I was put on this Earth to do...M: Well, thank you, Madonna.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTNEWS ITEM 1Stock markets in Europe and the United States have fallen sharply in response to further signs that the debt crisis in Greece is intensifying and could spread to other countries. Share prices in New York, London, Frankfurt and Paris fell by more than 2% after a major international credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded Greek debt to a level known informally as junk.[6]Standard & Poor’s downgraded its assessment of Greek bonds to the so-called junk status because of the growing danger that the bond holders will not be paid back in full. [7]Many big investment funds have rules that forbid them from holding junk bonds, says the move is likely to trigger a further round of selling. Share markets have taken fright, fearing that if Greece does default on its debts, it would hit many European banks which hold Greek bonds and could trigger a wider financial crisis. Already pressure is mounting on Portugal which has also seen its credit rating downgraded today, although it remains above junk status.NEWS ITEM 2Officials in the Philippines say at least a hundred people have died in floods and landslides in the north triggered by a week of heavy rain. This follows two storms in the past two weeks which have already left about 300 people dead. Reports said that even some evacuation centers had been flooded.[9]Officials say that 30 cities were hit by the landslide through the night where residents had taken to the rooftops of their houses for refuge. The northern Philippines have been pounded by heavy rain following the second typhoon in just over a week to hit the nation. Typhoon Parma has lingered in the north of the country turning into a tropical depression. It follows Typhoon Ketsana which killed more than 300 people when it hit on September 26.NEWS ITEM 3[10]The Supreme Court has upheld lethal injection as a method of execution. Justices rule 7 to 2 this morning rejecting a constitutional challenge brought by a case in Kentucky. [10]At issue was whether the most common method of capital punishment used by 35 states can cause excruciating pain for death row inmates, violating the constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling will likely allow states to resume executions which had been on hold pending the Supreme Court decision. Virginia’s governor has already lifted his state’s moratorium on executions.Test 2听力原文SECTION A MINI-LECTUREFive Main Literary Movements in American HistoryGood morning, everyone. Today’s lecture is the very first of a series of lectures on the main literary movements in United States history. In this class, we are going to cover five different movements in literature and discuss the origins and common beliefs of each movement. In this, our first class, I’d like to take some time to give you an overview of these five movements as a starting point. I’ll go over the period of time each movement covers, the place in the US where it got its start, the key figures in each movement, and the core beliefs of each.We won’t have time in the course to cover all literary movements, so we’re going to be focusing on the general time period of the 19th and 20th centuries. More specifically, this course will cover most of the important literary movements from 1830 to around 1940.The first literary movement we’ll be looking at in detail is called Transcendentalism. The reason we choose this as our starting point is that writers of this movement or period are the first to show a clear difference from British writers and British cultural tradition and heritage. Before this time, American writers and British writers shared similar views of the world and saw the world through the same lens. We sometimes refer to Transcendentalism as American Transcendentalism to differentiate it from an earlier philosophical movement in Europe. [1]American Transcendentalism was born in New England, the north-eastern part of the United States around the 1830s. [2]Writers in this movement believed, in very general terms, that nature, God, and the individual human were united, were the same, and that individuals did not need organized religion. American Transcendentalists also extolled individualism and encouraged individuals to be reliant on themselves and their development as human beings. Transcendentalists very often were active in social movements. Arguably the most important figure of this movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose book called Nature, published in 1836, remains one of the movements most read works.The second movement we’re going to talk about is Romanticism, though it is more a series of movements in art, music and literature which lasted about 50 years and spread from Britain and Germany to other parts of the world. Basically, romanticism is centered on strong emotions and imagination rather than rational thought, [3]and there is an emphasis in American Romanticism to focus on the supernatural and on human psychology. Many works in this genre tell stories full of strong emotion, unexplained phenomenon, and unusual occurrences. [4]One of the most well known writers considered to be a Romantic writer is Edgar Allen Poe, who is known for his stories filled with mystery and who wrote many works we might now call psychological thrillers or horror stories. Poe thought that the human mind and imagination are factors in how we define reality.Our next movement is Realism, a movement which started in France in the mid 19th century before spreading to other areas, including the United States in the 1870s. This movement was, in many ways, a reaction to Romanticism in that it rejected strange and, indeed, romantic tales and aimed to show society and humanity as it was in real life. Realists focused on events that were ordinary, usual and typical rather than extraordinary or exotic. [5]Many writers of this movement were also involved with social change, and writing about real conditions of real people was seen asone way to educate the general public for the need for change. [6]One of this movement’s most easily recognizable names is Mark Twain, whose most famous stories were about everyday life in the American south, that is, the south eastern states of the US, and who worked throughout his life on a variety of social issues including ending slavery and giving workers more rights.Naturalism is an offshoot of Realism, and also had its roots in France. Both movements focused on the reality of everyday ordinary life, but Naturalism focused on how the outside world, that is, [7]a person’s environment, influences and, perhaps, determines that person’s behavior. Naturalism generally believes that a person has a destiny or fate, and that person can do little to change that destiny or fate. Many writers in this movement focused on problems in society, like poverty. [8]One of the movement’s most famous writers, Jack London, wrote books which compared animal behavior to human behavior, showing that human behavior is not all that different from animal behavior in extreme circumstances.The next movement we are going to look at is Modernism, which, of course, stretches beyond literature into music and art. The movement itself started in Europe in the late 19th century, as with many of the other movements, spread to America shortly after. The tumultuous period ending in World War I and World War II were seen by many as proof that the modern world was horrific and chaotic, and the end of World War II was seen as the start of a new era of humanity, either for good or for bad. Modernism reflects these thoughts, and writers in the Modernist era were looking, generally, to look beyond the old, the traditional, and were trying to find meaning in a new world.[9]If we have to choose one word to describe this movement, we would probably choose the word “progress”. Modernists were concerned with finding out what doesn’t work in the world and replacing it with what does. [10]One major figure of the American branch of Modernism was Ezra Pound, who, among other things, revolutionized poetry.OK. In today’s lecture, we’ve had a brief look at the origins and common beliefs of the five different movements in American literature. In our next lecture, we will discuss each movement in detail.SECTION B INTERVIEWW: Today I’d like to welcome Edward Fox, a seasoned real-estate agent, who is going to talk to us about buying a house. Hello, Edward, good to see you.M: Hello.W: Now Edward, I think for most people buying a house is a major life event, and probably the single most expensive item they are ever likely to buy. What precautions do they have to take before a real purchase? Can you give some suggestions?M: You are right in saying buying a house costs a lot. But as to me, the most important thing to consider before buying any property is the location.W: Location?M: Right. Because it is where you plan to spend a large part of your life. Or, indeed, the rest of your life in some circumstances. [1]Therefore, consider the type of life you enjoy leading. If you area very sociable person who enjoys nightclubs and discos, you may consider something close toa city. Anyway, a city is convenient for all types of nightlife.W: Then, for those who like to seek a quiet life, do you recommend a house in the countryside? M: Well, countryside is a tranquil place. [1]However, do remember that proximity to the place of work also counts. [2]Indeed, we spend most of our life at work, and you don’t want to have to spend two or more hours every day traveling to work, do you?W: Absolutely.M: Therefore, transport is of the utmost importance. [2]City suburbs, however, are often conveniently located for commuting to work, or for shopping, without being in the heart of a busy city.W: But houses in the suburbs are far more expensive than those in cities.M: [3]They seem to be, but actually houses located in cities can often exceed the price of suburban houses, so check out the prices. You may be surprised.W: Really? So we should consider our place of work and personality in choosing the location. Is that so?M: I’m afraid you have to take family into consideration as well. You may prefer a house that is away from a busy street or main road. And of course, remember that children have to attend school. If you have children, or you plan to have children, location is a very important factor.And of course, [1]remember that a family influences the size of the property.W: Oh, I see. How many types of houses can we choose?M: There are various types of houses. The first is called detached houses, which stand alone, and are not joined by another building. Then there are semi-detached houses, which are the most common. This is because they are, in fact, two houses joined together, and therefore take up less space. And there are town houses, too, which are many houses joined together to form a long row. But I don’t think that town houses are less expensive than semi-detached houses. They rarely are. [3]This is because they are usually built in cities where the price of the property is very expensive.W: Then what about old houses? They must be cheaper than new ones.M: Maybe they are. But if the house is too old, you may be faced with expensive repairs and renovation bills. [4]So have a house thoroughly checked by a professional surveyor before you decide to buy.W: I agree. It’s economical to buy old houses only when they are in good condition. By the way, a lot of property has a garden attached to it. Do you think it’s a good choice?M: It’s true that a lot of property has a garden. If you enjoy gardening, that’s fine. But if you don’t enjoy gardening then you may prefer a small garden, as opposed to a big one. But even if you do enjoy gardening it is important to remember that gardens take up a lot of your time. So keeping a garden in good order may be very difficult if you work long hours.W: You are quite right. Any other suggestions?M: [5]One final thing is the general feel of the place. Does it have a good atmosphere? And most important of all, would YOU feel comfortable living there?W: Edward, I never knew I had to consider so many things while buying a house. Thank you very much for talking with us.M: My pleasure.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTNEWS ITEM 1Twenty-five miners are now known to have died and four are missing in an accident at a West Virginia coal mine. [6]The worst mine disaster in the US since 1984 was caused by an underground explosion at Upper Big Branch, about 30 miles south of Charleston. It happened at about 3 p.m. in a chamber 330m below ground, mine owner Massey Energy Company said. [7]The rescue operation has been suspended because rising methane gas levels have heightened the risk of another blast. The operation will resume as soon as conditions allow, Massey Energy said. There are plans to drill holes from the surface to monitor gas levels and attempt to ventilate the mine chamber. A mine safety official said rescue teams had reached one of the mine’s airtight chambers stocked with food, water and oxygen but found no-one there. US President Barack Obama offered his “deepest condolences” to the families and friends of those who had died.NEWS ITEM 2A landmark law which makes education a fundamental right for children has come into effect in India. It is now legally enforceable for every child to demand free and elementary education between the ages of 6 and 14 years. [8]Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said enough funds would be made available to ensure that children had access to education. An estimated eight million children aged between 6 and 14 do not currently attend school in India. Mr. Singh said that the government was committed “to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category have access to education”. Recalling his own childhood, [8]Mr. Singh, a qualified economist, said: “I read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. I am what I am totally because of education.” Mr. Singh added, “So I want that the light of education should reach to all.”NEWS ITEM 3Light exercise during pregnancy may improve the future health of a child by controlling weight in the womb, New Zealand and US researchers say. Overweight or obese mums are more likely to have larger babies which could be at higher risk of health problems later in life. [9]A study of 84 first-time mothers found exercise was associated with slightly lighter babies. UK guidelines recommend regular light exercise for pregnant women. The rising weight of the UK population over the years has led to a rise in the number of overweight mothers. There is increasing evidence that the future metabolism of a child may be influenced by its environment in the womb, [10]and that babies who are relatively heavy for their length may be more likely to be obese in future years. Official guidance in the UK tells doctors to encourage women not to overeat during pregnancy, and to, wherever possible, take light exercise on a regular basis.Test 3听力原文SECTION A MINI-LECTUREAdvice for Students: How to Talk to ProfessorsGood afternoon. Today I’d like to give you advice on how to talk to professors. A while back, I recommended that students get to know their professors. I realize, though, that many students are intimidated or put off by their professors. This is especially so when students need something—a favor, special help with an assignment, or a second chance on a test.It doesn’t need to be that way. [1]Professors are people, just like everyone else, and if you approach your professors with the same basic respect and decency you offer everyone else you interact with, you’ll probably find that they react with the same.There are, though, a few things that you should keep in mind when you talk to your professors, especially if you’re going to ask for a particular favor:[2]The first thing you should remember to do is: call them by the right title. A “Doctor” is someone with a PhD; not all professors have a PhD. “Professor” is usually appropriate, unless you’ve been told otherwise. I prefer to be called by my first name, and I make that point clearly on the first day of class; if your professor hasn’t said anything about this, you’re better off not using their first name. If you’re totally unsure, a “Mr.” or “Ms.” is usually fine. Do not use “Mrs.” unless the professor herself uses it.Secondly, no matter under what situations, tell the truth. After the first couple of semesters of teaching, your average professor has much heard it all. It’s a sad fact, but true nonetheless, that we grow jaded and take all students’ excuses with a grain of salt. If a professor thinks he or she is being played, they’re not going to respond very well to whatever request you have to make, [3]so you might as well be honest. If you feel you absolutely must lie, at least make it a huge flaming whopper of a lie, so the professor can get a good laugh when they share it at the next faculty meeting.Thirdly, be prepared to do the work. If you’ve missed an assignment or a test or are falling behind in your reading, [4]and you are seeking help to get caught up or a special dispensation to make up the assignment, you’d better be prepared to do the work—and generally under more difficult circumstances. I get the impression that a lot of students imagine I might just say “don’t worry about it, I’ll give you the points anyway”, which, of course, is not going to happen.[5]Fourthly, be clear and concise. Unless you’re paying a “social call”, get to the point quickly: tell your professor what you need or want and be done with it. Don’t spend 30 minutes explaining your childhood and family arrangements and how hard it is getting a job with a few felony convictions on your record and blah blah blah for a 10-point assignment. Simply say “Professor, I missed an assignment, can I make it up? Can I do something else?”Lastly, remember to pay social calls. Your professor is probably required by school policy to be in his or her office and available to students for a set number of hours per week. On top of that, most professors like talking to students—it’s part of the reason we took the job. Pay your professor a visit or two, just to talk. Tell him or her about the work you’re interested in or about problems you’re having. [6]Build relationships with your professors—at the very least, they’ll remember you when you call up three years later asking for a reference letter.。
2008年全国听力原文
Text 1M: I think it’s going to rain.W: I guess so. The sky is dark and cloudy.Text 2M: Lucy is going back to China next month, Alice.W: Oh, really?M: And she will not take Richard this time.Text 3W: I hate to say it, but Jackie isn’t doing well in the film.M: Well, I think he is only playing a different type of role. My sister thinks he is still the best.Text 4M: Professor Miners, could I talk to you about my paper?W: Sure, come to my office between two to three. It’s Room 340.Text 5W: OK, time to go home.M: I can’t. I haven’t finished the report about the newly opened restaurant.W: Well, if you carry on working like that, you’ll make yourself ill.Text 6M: I haven’t seen you for a long time. Where have you been?W: I went to New York to visit my sister and stayed there for two months. Actually, I really went to meet my new nephew.M: That’s great! How old is he?W: Well, he was five months old when I got there and he could possibly be the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.M: What did you d o in your sister’s home?W: I helped the baby and played with him a lot which was nice, but what I enjoyed most was feeding him.Text 7M: Air pollution is so bad in this city. I think the government should stop people from driving cars on certain days.W: You have a point. Air pollution is a problem, but not letting people drive on certain days is a bad idea. People have to go to work by car.M: I’m afraid I don’t agree with you there. Reducing air pollution is really important. People are so used to drivi ng that they don’t think about ways to do things. If we stop them from driving on certain days, maybe they could think of new ways to get around.W: I see your point, but I still think it wouldn’t be possible to stop people from driving.Text 8M: Let’s go and have lunch together.W: OK.M: By the way, I’m thinking of going to New Zealand around Christmas for three weeks. It’s such a beautiful country. I’ve never been there before.W: Have you booked a flight?M: Not yet. I’m planning to book my flight in two weeks’ time.W: Book your flight right now.M: Why?W: Because the longer you leave it, the more expensive it’ll be. As a matter of fact, the prices may double at Christmas time. New Zealanders usually go home for Christmas.M: Then, I’m going to book my flight tomorrow morning.Text 9M: Hello.W: Hello, Mike. This is Jane.M: Oh, hello, Jane.W: Listen, Mike, I’ve got a real problem.M: What is it?W: The car is broken down.M: Oh, not again.W: Yeah, I checked the oil, and I checked almost everything. It’s just not starting at all.M: You have to get ready of it, you know.W: I know, I know. But, look, the thing is I’ve got to pick Tom up at the airport. Can I …?M: Use my car? Yes, of course.W: That’ll be great; it’s very kind of you.M: Come on whe n you like, I don’t need it until tonight.W: OK. I’ll be around in about an hour. Thanks a lot.M: It’s all right. See you then.W: See you.Text 10OK, when we met last week, we talked about different kinds of short stories and some well-known short story writers. I remember that many of you said you liked the American writer Ernest Hemingway, right? I hope you all followed my advice and finished reading his story "A Day’s Wait", because as I said, we’re going to study it together in today’s lesson. Now, since you’re supposed to have read the story, let’s have some discussion. Please look at the four questions on the blackboard. First, when and where does the story take place? Second, what does the boy wait for in the story? And what kind of person does he show himself to be? Third, what kind of person is the boy’s father? Fourth, what is the writer’s main purpose of writing this story? I’d like you to work in groups of four or five and present your answers in ten minutes. Is everything clear?。
2008英语专业八级考试完整答案
2008英语专业八级考试完整答案听力部分1. native language2. 3503. Historical4. India5. commerce6. Boom7. sea travel communication8. conference9. many radios 10. splitSection B: 1-5 B C A C D Section C: 6-10 D A B C B阅读部分11-15. C B D A C 16-20. B D C D B21-25. C A D D B 26-30. C A D B C人文知识31 选C加拿大最大的城市是TORONTO32 选D立法权是国会THE33 选A 棒球一切都始于棒球美国的体育文化脱胎于棒球,一直以来,棒球就一直是文人们的最爱。
作为最古老的美式运动,棒球的形态一直保存完整,历史学家们视之为宝物34 新西兰的最高长官是B governor general 总督35选B THE CANTERBURY TALES 是GEORFFERY CHAUCER 写的36 选C THE AMERICAN 是谁写的Henrry James37 选A 不是20世纪英国女作家那题选A 其他都是20世纪著名的女性作家乔治.艾略特(George Eliot)原名玛丽·安·埃文斯Mary Ann Evans，1819年11月22日-1880年12月22日，英国小说家，与狄更斯和萨克雷齐名。
其主要作品有《弗洛斯河上的磨坊》The Mill on the Floss，《米德尔马契》等。
38 选D 历时性(diachronicity) 这个不是语言学的特性39选B 并列句but连接的两个分句40选D homonymy指的是语汇中一对对或是一组组的单词，虽然意思不同，但是发音相同，或拼写相同，又或者是发音和拼写都相同。
这些一对对一组组的单词我们称之为homonym(同形同音异义词、同形异义词、同音异义词)。
TPO8 listening 听力文本
TPO 08 – Listening PartConversationStu: Hi, I’d like to drop of my graduation form; I understand you need this in order to process my diploma.Pro: Ok, I will take that. Before you leave, let's me check our computer. Looks like you are OK for graduation, and actually, I am getting a warning fly on your academic record here.Stu: Really?Pro: Yeah. Let's see was what. Are you familiar with your graduation requirements?Stu: Yes, I think soPro: Then you know you need 48 credits in your major field to graduate and at least 24 credits in the intermediate level or higher. Also, after your second year, you have to meet with your department chair to outline a plan for the rest of your time here. In the past, we also issue letters before students’ final year began to let them know what they needed to take in the final year to be OK, but we don't do that anymore.Stu: I definitely met with my chair person 2 years ago; he told me that I need 8 more courses at the intermediate level or higher in the last 2 years to be OK. So I am not sure what the problem is, I make sure I got these credits.Pro: Unfortunately, the computer is usually pretty reliable; I am not sure what was going on here. Stu: It could be that I have taken 2 basic courses but couple both of them with a few experiences. Pro: What do you mean?Stu: I could only take intro courses because there were no intermediate level courses available for those particular topics. My chair person told me that if I did the independent field researches in addition to the science work each course; they would count as the intermediate level courses. My classmates, some of my classmates, did this for an easy way to meet their intermediate course requirement, but I did it to get the kind of depth in those topics was going for. As I turned out I was really enjoy the field work, which I supplement just sitting and listening the lecturesPro: I am sure that’s true, but the computer still showing the miss basic level courses despite the field work.Stu: I am not sure what to do then, I mean, should I cancel my graduation party?Pro: No, no reason to get worry like that, just contact your chair person immediately, ok, tell him to call me as soon as possible so that we can verify your field work arrangement and certify these credits right away. It’s not only there is an actual deadline to date you anything. But if more than a few weeks go by, we might have a real problem that would difficult to fix in time for you to graduate. In fact, there probably would be nothing we could do.Stu: I will get on that.LecturePro: Well, last time we talked about passive habitat selection, like plants for example, they don't make active choices about where to grow. They are dispersed by some other agent, like the wind. And if the seeds land in a suitable habitat, they do well and reproduce. With active habitat’s selection, an organism is able to physically select where to live and breed. And because the animal breeding habitat is so important, we expect animal species to develop preferences for particular types of habitats. Places where their offspring have the best chance for survival. So let's look at the effect the preference can have by looking at some examples, but first let’s recap. What do we mean by habitat? Frank?Stu: Well, it’s basically the place or environment where an organism normally lives and grows.Pro: Right, and as we discussed, there are some key elements that habitat must contain, food obviously, water, and is got have a right climate and basics for physical protection. And we were sound how important habitat selection is when we look at the habitat were some of the factors are removed, perhaps through habitats’ destruction. I just read about a short bird, the plover.The plover lives by the ocean and feeds on small shellfish insects in plants. It blends in with the sand, so it well camouflage from predator birds above. But it lags eggs in shallow depressions in the sand with very little protection around them. So if there are people or dogs on the beach, the eggs and fledglings in the nest are really vulnerable. Outing California weather has been a lot of human development by the ocean. The plovers are now is threaten species. So conservation is tried to recreate a new habitat for them. They made artificial beaches and sun bars in area inaccessible to people and dogs. And the plover population is up quite a bit in those places.Ok. That is an incidence where a habitat is made less suitable. But now, what about the case where animal exhibits a clear choice between two suitable habitats in cases like that. Dose the preference matter? Let's look at the blue warbler.The Blue warbler is a songbird that lives in the North America. They clearly prefer hard wood forests with dense shrubs, bushes underneath the trees. They actually nest in the shrubs, not the trees. So they pretty close to the ground, but these warblers also nest in the forests that have low shrub density. It is usually the younger warblers that next to the area because prefers spots where a lot of shrubs are taken by order more dominant birds.And the choice of habitat seems to affect the reproductive success. Because the order and more experienced birds who nest in the high density shrub areas have significantly more offspring than those in low density areas, which suggests that the choice of where to nest does have impact on the number of chicks they have. But preferred environment doesn't always seem to correlate with greater reproductive success. For example, In Europe, study has been done of blackcap warblers. We just call them blackcaps.Blackcaps can be found in two different environments. Their preferred habitat is forest that near the edge of streams. However, blackcaps also live in pine woods away from water. Study has been done on the reproductive success rate for birds in both areas, and the result showed surprisingly that the reproductive success was essentially the same in both areas--- the preferred and the secondchoice habitat. Well. Why?It turns out there were actually four times as many bird pairs or couples living in the stream edge habitat compared to the area away from the stream, so this stream edge area had much denser population which meant more members of same species competing for the resources. When into feed on same thing or build their nests in the same places, which lower the suitability of the prime habitat even though its their preferred habitat. So the results of the study suggests that when the number of the competitors in the prime habitat reaches a certain point, the second random habitat becomes just as successful as the prime habitat, just because there are fewer members of the same species living there. So it looks like competition for resources is another important factor in determining if particular habitat is suitable.LecturePro: We had been talking about the art world in the late century in Paris. Today I’d like to look at the woman who went to Paris at that time to become artists. Now from your reading what do you know about Paris about the art world of Paris during the late nineteen centuries?Stu: People came from all over the world to study.Stu: It had a lot of art schools and artists who taught painting. There were, our book mention is classes for women artists. And it was a good place to go to study art.Pro: If you want to become an artist, Paris was not a good place to go; Paris is THE place to go. And women could find skills and instructors there. Before the late 19 century. If they women who want to become an artist have to take private lessons or learn from family members. They have more limited options than men did.But around 1870s, some artists in Paris began to offer classes for female students. These classes are for women only. And by the end of the 19 century, it became much more common for woman and man to study together in the same classes. So within few decades, things had changed significantly. Ok let back up again and talk about the time period from 1860 to the 1880s and talkmore about what had happened in the woman art classes. In 1868, a private art academy open in Paris, and for decades it was the probably the most famous private art school in the world. It is founder Rudolph Julian was a canny business man. And quickly establish his school as a premiere destination for women artists. What he did was? After an initial trail period of mixed class, He changed the schools' policy. He completely separated the man and woman students.Stu: Any reason why he did that?Pro: Well. Like I said Julian was a brilliant business man, with progressive ideas. He thought another small private art school where all the students were women was very popular at that time. And that’s probably why he adopted the women only classes. His classes were typic ally offer by an established artist and were held in the studio, the place where they painted. This was a big deal because finally women could study art in a formal setting. And there was another benefit to the group setting in these classes. The classes included weekly criticism. And the teacher would rank the art of all the students in the class from best to worst. How would you like if I did that in this class?Stu: Hah…No way. But our test book said the competitive…competition was good for women. It helps them see where they need to improve.Pro: Isn’t that interesting? One woman artist, her name was Marry Bashkirtseff. Bashkirtseff once wrote how she felt about classmate’s work. She thought her classmates’ art was much better than her own and it ga ve her an incentive to do better. Overall the competition in the women’s art classes gave women more confidence. Confidence they could also compete in the art world after their schooling. And even though Bashkirtseff could not study in the same classes as man, she was having an impact as an artist. Just look like the salon, what do you know about the salon?Stu: It was a big exhibition, a big art show and they had in Pairs every year. They art had to be accepted by judges.Stu: It was a big deal you can make a name for yourself.Pro: You can have a painting or sculpture in the salon and go back to your home country saying you were been success in the Paris.It was sort of, see of approval. It was a great encouragement for an artist career. By the last two decades of 19 century, one fifth of the paintings in the salon were by woman, much higher than in the past. In fact, Marry Bashkirtseff self had a painting in the salon in the 1881. Interestingly this masterpiece called IntheStudio is a painting of i nterior of Julian’s art school. It is not in your test book I will show you the painting next week, the painting depiction active crowd studio with woman drawing and painting life model. It was actually Bashkirtseff actually follow Julian savvy suggestion and painted her fellow students in a class at the school was the artist herself at far right.A great advertisement for the school when the painting eventually hung up at the salon, for a woman studio had never been painted before.ConversationPro: So, Richer, what is up?Stu: I know we will have a test coming up on chapter on.Pro: Chapter 3 and 4 from text book.Stu: Right, 3 and 4, I didn’t get something you said on class Monday.Pro: Alright? Do you remember what was it about?Stu: Yes, you were talking about a gym health club where people can go to exercise that kind of thing.Pro: Ok, but the health club model is actually from chapter 5.so…Stu: Ok, chapter 5 so it not--Ok but I guess I still want to try to understand…Pro: Of course, I was talking about an issue in strategic marketing, the healthy club model; I mean with a health club you might think they would trouble attracting customs right?Stu: Well, I know when I pass by a healthy club and I see although people working out, the exercising, I just soon walk on by.Pro: Yes, there is that. Plus, lots of people have exercise equipment at home, or they can play sports with their friends. right?Stu: Sure.Pro: But nowadays in spite of all that, and expensive membership fees, health club are hugely popular, so how come?Stu: I guess that is I didn’t understand.Pro: Ok, basically they have to offer things that most people can find anywhere else, you know quality, that means better exercise equipment, higher stuff, and classes-exercise classes may be aerobics.Stu: I am not sure if I…ok I get it. And you know another thing is I think people probably feel good about themselves when they are at gym. And they can meet new people socialize.Pro: Right, so health club offer high quality for facilities. And also they sold an image about people having more fun relating better to others and improving their own lives if they become members.Stu: Sure that makes sense.Pro: Well, then, can you think of another business or organization that could benefit from doing this? Think about an important building on campus here, something everyone uses, a majorsources of information?Stu: You mean like an administrative building? Pro: Well, that is not what I had in my mind. Stu: You mean the library.Pro: Exactly. Libraries, imagine publish libraries; there are information resource for the whole community right?Stu: Well they can be, now, with the internet and big book stores, you can probably get what you need without going to a library.Pro: That’s true. So if you were the director of a public library, what will you do about that?Stu: To get more people to stop in, well, like you said, better equipments, maybe a super fast internet connection, not just a good variety of books but also like nice and comfortable areas where people can read and do research. Things make them want to come to the library and stay.Pro: great.Stu: Oh, maybe have authors come and do some readings or special presentations. Somethingp eople couldn’t get home.Pro: Now, you are getting it.Stu: Thanks, professor Williams, I think too.LecturePro: So we’ve been talking about the printing press. How it changes people’s lives, making books more accessible to everyone. More books mean more reading, right? But, as you know, not everyone has perfect vision. This increasing literacy, um, in reading, led to an increasing demand for eye glasses. And here’s something you probably haven’t thought of. This increased demand impacted the societal attitudes toward eye glasses. But, first let me back up a bit and talk about vision correction before the printing press. And, um, what did people with poor vision do, I mean, especially those few people who were actually literate? What did they do before glasses were invented? Well, they had different ways of dealing with not seeing well. If you think about it, poor vision wasn’t their only problem. I mean, um, think about the conditions they lived in: houses were dark, sometimes there weren’t an y windows; candles were the only source of light. So in some places, um, like ancient Greece for example, the wealthiest people with poor vision could have someone else read to them- easy solution if you could afford it. Another solution was something call ed a “reading stone”. Around 1000 C.E. European monks would take a piece of clear rock, often quartz, and place it on top of the reading material. The clear rock magnified the letters, making them appear larger, um, looks like what happens when a drop of water falls on something, whatever’s below the drop of water appears larger, right? Well, the “reading stone” works in a similar way. But rocks like quartz, well, quartz of optical quality weren’t cheap. Late in the 13th century, glass maker in Italy came up with a less expensive alternative. They made reading stones out of clear glass. And these clear glass reading stones evolved into the eye glasses we know today. So we’re pretty sure that glasses were invented about the late 1200’s, well, over a hundred years before the printing press. But it’s not clear who exactly invented them first or exactly what year. But record shows that they were invented in both Europe and China at about the same time. By the way, we call this “independent discovery”.Independent discovery means when something is invented in different parts of the world at the same time and it’s not as unusual as it sounds. You can look at the timeline chart at the back of your textbook to see when things were invented in different cultures at about the same time tosee what I’m talking about.So now let’s tie this to what I’ve said before about societal attitude towards glasses. Initially in parts of Europe and in China, glasses were a symbol of wisdom and intelligence. This is evidence in an artwork from the period. European paintings often portrayed doctors or judges wearing glasses. In China, glasses were very expensive. So in addition to intelligence, they also symbolize affluence, um, wealth. In 14th century Chinese portrays the bigger the glasses, the smarter and wealthier this object was. So glasses were a steady symbol in some parts of the world. Now let’s go back to the invention of the painting press in 1440. What happened? Suddenly, books became widely available and more people wanted to read. So the need, oh well, actually not only the need but the demand for more affordable glasses rose drastically. Eventually, inexpensive glasses were produced, and then glasses were available to everyone. People could purchase them easily from a traveling peddler.LecturePro: So, are there any questions?Stu: Yes, um, Professor Harrison, you were saying that the periodic table is predictive. What exactly does that mean? I mean I understand how it organize the elements but where’s the prediction?Pro: Ok, let’s look at our periodic table again. Ok, it is a group of elements in the categories that share certain properties, right?Stu: Um-huh~Pro: And it is ranged according to increasing atomic number, which is…Stu: The number of protons in each atom of an element.Pro: Right, well, early versions of the periodic table had gaps, missing elements. Every time you had one more proton, you had another element. And then, oops, there have been atomic number, for which there’s no known element. And the prediction was that the element, with that atomic number existed someway, but it just haven’t been found yet. And its location in the tablewould tell you what properties that you should have. It was really pretty exciting for scientists at that time to find these missing elements and confirm their predictive properties. Um, actually, that reminds other, other very good example of all these, element 43. See on the table, the symbol for element 42 and 44.In early versions of the table, there was no symbol for element 43 protons because no elementwith 43 protons had been discovered yet. So the periodic table had gap between elements 42 and 44. And then in 1925, a team of chemists led by scientist named Ida Tack’s claimed they had found element 43. They had been using a relatively new technology called X-ray spectroscopy, and they were using this to examine an ore sample. And they claimed that they’d found an element with 43 protons. And they named it Masuria.Stu: Um, Profes sor Harrison, then, how come in my periodic table, here, element 43 is Tc, that’s Technetium, right?Pro: Ok, let me add that.Actually, um, that’s the point I’m coming to. Hardly anyone believed that Tack’s discovered the new element. X-ray spectroscopy was a new method at that time. And they were never able to isolate enough Masurium to have available sample to convince everyone the discovery. So they were discredited. But then, 12 years later in 1937, a different team became the first to synthesize t he element using a cyclotron. And that element had…Stu: 43 protons?Pro: That’s right, but they named it Technetium to emphasize that it was artificially created with technology. And people thought that synthesizing these elements, making it artificially was the only way to get it. We still haven’t found it currently in nature. Now element 43 would be called Masurium or Technetium is radioactive. Why is that matter? What is true of radioactive element?Stu: It decays it turns into other elements. Oh, so does that explain why was missing in periodic table?Pro: Exactly, because of radioactive decay, element 43 doesn’t last very long. And therefore, if that ever had been present on earth, it would decay ages ago. So the Masurium people were obviously wrong, and the Technetium people were right. Right? Well, that was then, now we know that element 43 does occur naturally. It can be naturally generated from Uranium atom that has spontaneous split. And guess what, the ore sample that the Masurium group was working with had plenty of Uranium enough to split into measurable amount of Masurium. SoTack’s team might very well have found small amounts of Musurium in the ore sample just that once was generated from split Uranium decayed very quickly. And you know here’s an incredible irony, Ida Tack, led the chemist of that Musurium team, and were she the first to suggest thatUranium could break up into small pieces but she didn’t know that that was the defense of her own discovery of element 43.Stu: So is my version of periodic table wrong? Should element 43 really be called Musurium?Pro: Maybe, but it’s hard to tell for sure after all this time, if Ida Tack’s group did discover element 43. They didn’t, um, publish enough details on their method or ins truments for us to know for sure. But I’d like to think element 43 was discovered twice. As Musurium, it was first element to discover that occurs in nature only from spontaneous vision, and as Technetium, it was the first element discovered in the laboratory. And of course, it was an element the periodic table let us to expect existed before anyone had found it or made it.。
2008年专八真题听力原文
听力原文2008Part 1, Listening ComprehensionSECTION A MINI-LECTUREThe popularity of EnglishGood morning, everyone. Today's lecture is about the popularity of English.As we all know, English is widely used in the world. Althpugh English is not the language with the largest number of native or first language speakers, it has really become a lingua franca. Then what is a lingua franca? The term refers to a language which is widely adopted for communication be¬tween two speakers whose native languages are different from each others and where one or both speakers are using it as a second language ( Q1). For example, when an Indian talks to a Singapore¬an using English, then English is the lingua franca.Then actually how many people speak English as either a first or a second language? Some re¬searches suggested that a few years ago that between 320 , 000 , 000 to 380 , 000 , 000 people spoke English as a first language. And anyway between 250 , 000 , 000 to 350 , 000 , 000 as a second lan¬guage ( Q2 ) . And of course , if we include people who are learning English as a foreign language all over the world, that number may increase dramatically. Then we may ask a question, how did Eng¬lish get there? That is how did English gain the present status of popularity?There are in fact a number of interlocking reasons for the popularity of English as a lingua fran¬ca. Many of the reasons are historical , but they also include economic and cultural factors that influ¬enced and sustained this spread of the language. Let's go through the reasons one by one. First, it's the historical reason ( Q3) . This is related to the colonial history. As we know, when' the Pilgrim Fathers landed on the Massachusetts coast in 1620 after their journey from England, they brought with them not just a set of religious beliefs, a pioneering spirit or a desire for colonization, but also their language. Although many years later, the Americans broke away from their colonial master, the language of English remained and still does. It was the same in Australia too. When Commander Philippe planted the British flag in Sydney curve on the 26th of January 1788 , it was not just a bunch of British convicts and their guardians but also a language. In other parts of the former British Empire, English rapidly became a unifying or dominating means of control. For example, it became a lingua franca in India where a variety of indigenous languages made the use of any one of them as a whole country system problematic ( Q4). So the imposition of English as the one language of a ministration helps maintain the colonizers' control and power. Thus English traveled around many parts of the world in those days and long after that colonial empire has faded away. It is too widely used as a main or at least an institutional language in countries as far apart as Jamaica and Pakistan, \ Uganda and New Zealand. That is the first factor.Now the second major factor. in the spread of English has been the spread of commerce through¬out the world. The spread of international commerce has taken English along with it ( Q5 ) . This is the 20111 century phenomenon of globalization. Therefore, one of the first sights many travelers see when arriving in countries as diverse as Brazil, China for example, it's the yellow, twin art sign of a Macdonald's fast food restaurant or some other famous brand's outlets. And without doubt, English is used as the language of communication in the international business community.And the third factor related to the popular use of English is the boom in international travel ( Q6).And you will find that much travel and tourism is carried on around the world in English. Of course this is not always the case. As the multi-lingualism of many tourism workers in different coun¬tries demonstrate. But a visit to most airports on the globe will show signs not only in the language of that country but also in English. Just as many airline announcements are broadcast in English too. Whatever the language of the country the airport is situated in. So far, English is also the preferred language of air-traffic control in many countries and it is used widely in sea travel communication ( Q7 ).Another factor has something to do with the information exchange around the world. As we all know, a great deal of academic discourse around the world takes place in English. It is often a lingua franca of conferences, for example. And many journal articles in fields as diverse as astronomy, trial psychology and zoology have English as a kind of default language ( Q8).The last factor I cite here concerns popular culture. In the western world at least, English is a dominating language in popular culture. Pop music in English can be heard on many radios ( Q9). Thus many people who are not English speakers can sing words from their favorite English medium songs. And many people who are regular cinema-goers or TV viewers can frequently hear English in sub-titled films coming out of the USA.Now, to sum up, in today's lecture, we have reviewed some of the reasons or factors that lie be¬hind the popular use of English as the NO. 1 world language. Before we finish, I would like to leave a few questions for you to think about. Is the status of English as the NO. 1 world language assured in the future? Will it split into varieties that become less mutually intelligible? Or some other language or languages take the place of English as the world language in future ( Q1 ). These questions are not easy to answer, I know, but they are definitely worth pondering over after the lecture. OK, let's bring us to the end of today's lecture. Thank you for your attention. SECTION B CONVERSATIONW Hello! Freddy.NI: Hello! Marry. How nice to see you again! How is everything going?W Fine. Busy these days?M : Yeah. With lots of things to do. Would you like to join me for a drink?W: Ok! Thanks!M: Any news recently?W Oh! Well , I read in the local paper the other day that the government is planning to build an air¬port here. You knew that?M Afraid not.My real objection to this idea of a new airport is... is that the whole thing is so wasteful. I mean, we know we are currently in a fuel crisis. We know that we've got to conserve oil and fuel and all the rest of it and yet here the government seems quite deliberately to be encouraging people to travel, to use. And these jets use a heck of a lot of oil. I mean it takes a ton of oil, a ton of pet¬rol before one of this big jets even takes off (Q1).M: Hmmm.W: It seems so completely short-sighted to me, quite apart from all the waste of land and so on. I can't see, I can't see the rational behind really wanting an... an airport at all.M: Well, surely you must admit the existing airport nearby are becoming swarmed. I mean, why should people...NV: Well, they are being swarmed.111: be treated like cattle when there's a chance of a new airport here.W: But, but really, people shouldn't be traveling as much. That's, that's why most of the journeys, I mean, they are swarmed, because there is far too much unnecessary tourism and so on. It isn't necessary for people to travel so fast, or still, even so often ( Q2).M: Well. You take the climate here in this country. Now, just before Christmas, there 'was this dreadful cold spell and there was a tremendous increase in the number of people who wanted to leave and spend Christmas and the New Year in a reasonable climate of sun and a certain mild climate. And in summer, the same situation occurs. It is unbearably hot here and people want go somewhere cool.W: Yes, I can sympathize with that. But it is still not really necessary to do or as it is necessary to conserve fuel and it is necessary to ... well not to waste land, I mean, land for new airport could be used for far more important things which would benefit the people here far more ( Q2). I mean, it could be used for farming, for instance.M: True.W: It could also be used for housing, or it could be used for parks, you know. People then, could come and enjoy themselves without having to travel far.Mi But, airports do bring some local advantages. They bring roads, there's obviously extra employ¬ment, for instance, new hotels, shops, restaurants will have to be built, this means, more jobs for the locals and it is good for local economy ( Q3).W: But, you ask the people, you ask those who are now living near the airports, for instance, whether they reckon that airports are bringing them advantages or the airport is bringing noise and vast motorways and the whole area is desolated, isn't it? ( Q2)M: But, the airport infrastructure relies on housing and other facilities for the great number of people who would be employed in the airport, the pilot even, the stewardnesses. They have to live somewhere near the airport, right?W: Yeah, but it's, it's just so damaging to the whole area. I think, airports, from my point of view, the whole concept is outdated really. With modern technology, we're going to make a lot of travel unnecessary, really (Q4). For example, it won't be necessary for businessman to fly out to a foreign country to talk to somebody. They can just lift up telephone in the office, press the but¬ton and see the person they want to do business with. You see, business deals can be made with¬out having to travel back and forth, right?M: Yes, you're right. But, for a lot of people, 'personal contact is important. And this means travel, and means quick travel, air 'travel and we just need a new airport (Q5).SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTNews Item 1 (for question 6)The New Moderates Party began forming the new Swedish government on Monday. In Sunday's Elections , the New Moderates Party defeated the Social Democrats. The Social Democratic Party has controlled Sweden for all but nine years since 1932 , building up the country's generous welfare state. But the New Moderates wants to change it. ( Q6 ) Sweden's welfare system is famed around the world, but the system encourages people to be lazy and unemployment is also high in Sweden. One reason is the high tax on companies which makes it difficult to employ new people.News Item 2 (for questions 7 and 8)Much of the world was watching on television when the command of the Apollo-11 mission Neal Armstrong tookthe first steps on the moon in July 1969. The pictures of that historic footstep and • everything else about that and subsequent of Apollo moon landings were recorded on magnetic tape at three NASA ground tracking stations around the world. The tapes were then shipped to a NASA operation centre near Washington—the Goddard Space Flight Centre. ( Q7 ) In late 1969 , the space a¬gency began transferring them and tens of thousands of tapes from other space missions to a nearby U. S. government archives warehouse: NASA says it asked for them back in the 1970s, but now does not know where they are. "I probably am overly sensitive to the word `lost' . I did not feel they are lost. " said Richard Nafzger, a Goddard Space Flight Centre engineer who was in charge of television processing from all of NASA's ground receiving sites. The Space Agency has authorized him to set a¬side his other duties for the foreseeable future and devote his time to the hunt for the tapes. Nafzger says- they are stored somewhere. ( Q8 )News Item 3 (for questions 9 and 10)More than 22 million people who live in the Unite State don't speak or understand English very well and that can be deadly. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Doctor Glan Flores highlights some cases where language barriers prevented patients from communicating with health-care providers with serious consequences. ( Q9 ) Doctor Flores records one incident in which English-speaking doctors `thought a Spanish-speaking man was suffering from a drug over-doze. "He was in the hospital basically for two days being worked up for drug abuse " , Flores says. " They finally did a head CT scan and realized he had had a major bleed into his brain. He ended up being paralyzed and he got a 71 million dollars settlement award from the hospital. " Doctor Flores , a pro¬fessor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, says that despite examples like that, the majority of US health-care facilities still do not have trained interpreters on sight, but he acknowledges that increas¬ing numbers of health care workers are bilingual and that more clinics and hospitals do make sure their staff and patients understand each other. ( Q10)。
08年广东高考英语听力原文(文字版
W: Hi, Jack. I heard that you are back at school now.M: Yes, Susan. I just started college after taking three years off after high school.W: Oh, yeah?M: I’m feeling completely out of practice. I don’t know how to handle it, because my former classmates are already seniors, and they are graduating this year. And I’m just first year student and… I feel kind of at this disadvantage.W: Really? Well, I don’t know. I kind of / kinda did the same thing. I started college right after high school. But I went back after a year. Then after two years I came back to school again. I actually felt like I appreciated my education more, because I was ready for it.M: That’s a good point. I didn’t go on to college after high school, because I wasn’t ready. I nee ded a break.W: Exactly.M: Did it take you a while to remember how to form my papers or stuff like that?W: Yeah. And I was an English major, so I have to do a lot of that. But catch on quickly and you just learn. Are you taking a lot of courses? Because if you overload yourself, you know, right away, it can be difficult.M: I’m trying to take it slow and ease back into it.2.W: So, I was just in San Francisco and…M: Nice.W: I know. I love that town. And we went into Chinatown, which…uh…I love Chinatown in San Francisco.M: There is the best you know. Ours is like two blocks here.W: Absolutely. Yeah, any how… Chinese New Year it changes every year because it’s not a set holiday.M: Is that right?W: It’s because every year is actually based on different calendars. I can’t speak specifically on that but we have an extra month.M: The Jewish calendar’s kind of / kinda like that too.W: Anyhow back to Chinese New Year. So do you know what year of this year is? It’s the year of the pig.M: How many different animals do they have?W: Twelve. Twelve different animals.M: Oh, yeah?W: Yeah, It’s really interesting. But do you know what year, what animal you are?M: Uh…I don’t know why I know. But I was born in the year of the rooster.W: Oh, Yeah? I’m an ox.3.The marathon is an exciting event in any year as runners push themselves to extreme limit of their body to complete the over 42 kilometer race. But during the 1968 Mexico City Olympic, three runners performed such great acts that race is considered a truly historic event. One of the runners, Abebe Bikila from Ethiopia, is famous for having won the Olympic marathons at the Rome and Tokyo games. He hoped to win a third in Mexico City. Bikila was really strong as he began the marathon. But at the third of the way into the race he suddenly dropped out. He’d been suffering from a pain in his left leg and could run no more. Mamo Wolde, another Ethiopian runner saw Bikila drop out and immediately poured on the speed as if he was filling his fallen teammate's shoes. Wolde gave Ethiopia its third marathon victory. But the drama of this marathon did not end when Wolde crossed the finishing line. A little more than an hour later, word was passed to the remaining audience that the last runner of marathon was arriving. Into the stadium, came Akhwari of Tanzania, his leg was bloodyand bandaged. Moving with pain at every step, he pressed on and finally got passed the finishing line. The crowd cheered as if this last runner had been the winner.4.M: Hey, Lucy. I have a question I’d like to ask you.W: Yes, go ahead.M: Well, don’t laugh but I met this really nice woman from online music group. I need some advice. You see, Claudia…W: Ok. So it’s Claudia, right?M: Yeah, yeah. She invited me to spe nd two weeks in Germany. She’s planning on introducing me to her parents. What should you do when you greet someone for the first time in Germany?W: Well, it depends upon your relationship with the person. Now, speaking of your girlfriend Claudia…M: He y, hey, I didn’t say she was my girlfriend.W: Oh, OK OK. Now, if you’re meeting someone for the first time like Claudia’s parents, you should make sure you arrive on time.M: Ok. So arrive on time. What about common greetings?W: Well, Germans often sh ake hands and they use the person’s family name unless they are really close friends.M: Ok. What about with Claudia?W: Uh, you can call her Claudia, shake hands and why don’t you take her some flowers?5.Rainforests are the lungs of the planet – storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world’s oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for guaranteeing their own survival; the tall trees make a cover of branches and leaves which protectthemselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, dry heat and strong winds.Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is a deliberate method to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects. To survive in the forest, animals must climb from tree to tree. The ground floor of the forest is not all covered with leaves and bushes, but is where leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can produce 75% of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal – and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet.6.W: Hello?M: Hello. Is that 8821199?W: It is. Jane speaking.M: Oh, are you… I mean I’d like to speak to the secretary of the readers’ club?W: Yes, speaking.M: Oh, oh. Hello. My name is Denis. I am interested in joining the readers’ club. And I’d like some more information. Would you mind telling me how much it costs to join?W: Membership fee, for an adult is ￡2.50 for a year of course.M: What sort of events do you have? I mean…W: Well, there’s the club evenings for instance once a month, usually Wednesdays from 8 till about 10.M: And where do you hold them?W: The location, it’s usually the Beach Hotel. Do you know it?M: Yes, I think I do. Do you have any other interest groups? I kinda like the computer thing.W: There you are then. The club’s got a computer group that practices every Friday afternoon.M: What’s the procedure? I mean if I decide to join the group? How do I go about it?W: You can write to the chairman. His name is Hosegood, H-O-S-E, and then good.M: Yes.W: Initial p Address 3 Play Hills Road Aquaton.M: Thank you very much. You’ve been very helpful.。
全国英语专八考试听力原文辅导
全国英语专八考试听力原文辅导全国英语专八考试听力原文辅导None are so blind as those who won't see.以下是店铺为大家搜索整理的全国英语专八考试听力原文辅导，希望能给大家带来帮助!SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section, you will hear a mini-lecture. You willhear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, takenotes on the important points. Your notes will not bemarked,but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture isover, you'll be given two minutes to check yournotes,and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task. Now listen to the mini-lecture.Good morning. Before you write something, youneed to have a clear idea of the topic,the audience, and the purpose of your writing. In thislecture, we'll concentrate on one of these elements, the audience. This is a very importantconcept for writing. The term audience usually refers to viewers of movies and TV shows andlisteners of radio programs. Here we expand it to include readers of written materials indiscussions of writing activities. Why is this concept so important? As shown in the example inour book, the same topic, when written to different audiences, can have very different content,structure, style, etc. Thus, the importance of a keen awareness of your audience throughoutthe writing process can not be overemphasized. Audiences can be examined from threedifferent perspectives: 1. your social relations to your audience 2. your audience's knowledgeabout your subject 3. your audience's attitudes or viewpoints to the subject and your positionin the writing Let's discuss them one by one. Now, first point, analyze your audiencein terms ofyour social relations. Whenever you write, you are interacting with other members of thesociety. Are you writing to a friend of yours? To a colleague? To the director of your businessfirm? T o the admission office of an American college? In each situation, you have a differentsocial relationship with your audience and this relationship has a definite impact on the shapeof your writing. No one in his or her right mind would write a letter of application to the deanof the graduate school as if the dean was one of his or her buddies. The second point, analyzeyour audience in terms of their knowledge of the subject you are writing about. This analysis isvaluable particularly in informative and explanatory writing. Suppose you are writing a papercomparing the Mid-autumn Festival to Thanksgiving, how much knowledge would you assumeyour American readers already have about the Chinese holiday and how much about their own?Obviously,very little about the former and a whole lot about the latter. In such a paper, youwant to take care not to bore your readers to death by telling them what they already knowwhile leaving them tantalizingly unsatisfied about what they are so eager to learn. Theemphasis here should be to show the striking differences and subtle parallels rather than togive exhaustively detailed information on each holiday. Now, the third point, analyze youraudience in terms of their attitudes or viewpoints to the subject and your position in thewriting. This analysis is vitally important in writing persuasive or argumentative essays,which is much more complex and challenging. In a persuasive essay you present reasonsand arguments to convince your readers that they should accept a belief or to take a positionor a specific action. For persuasive or argumentative writings, you can classify audiencesinto threegroups: those who agree, those who are neutral or undecided, and those whodisagree. When writing to an audience who already sees eye to eye with you about acontroversial issue,is there much you need to do? Not much. If you are addressing anaudience who already shares your view about developing and maintaining a mature andconstructive relationship between China and the United States in the 21st century, all youneed to do reiterate why such a relationship is in the vital interests of both countries and ofthe whole world. When writing to audiences who are neutral or undecided, you have the mostto do and can hope to achieve a lot. Say you want to propose that a new financial aid systembe established to help those bright students in rural and less prosperous areas of thecountry. You are concerned that with today's new tuition policy and practice, those studentswill be priced out of a chance for the high education they deserve so much. Some people maybe undecided because they have some doubts and concerns: where does the money needed forsuch an aid come from? What are the specific standards whereby to award scholarships? Arethere more fair and efficient alternative solutions? Once you find out why your audiences areundecided,you need to address their doubts and concerns as directly and fully as possible. Youhave a fairly good chance of winning them over when their questions are answeredsatisfactorily. And audiences who disagree are the most difficult to write to. Different peopledisagree with you for different reasons. Some of them may have already given the issue athought and have already made a choice; therefore,it is extremely difficult to change theirminds. Others who disagree may not have had the time to think it over seriously. There aretwo main possible reasons why your audiences may disagree with you:1) because they don'thave the "facts" or because they look at the same "facts" differently. 2) because they areinfluenced by their personal opinion, prejudice, and political or religious beliefs. Once you havefound why they disagree, you can decide what is the best approach to such audiences. If it isa lack of information, your job is to give them the relevant historical as well as up to dateinformation as accurately as possible. If it is for personal, political and religious reasons,youneed to recognize them, understand them, and address them accordingly. Now, we can seethat audience awareness is so crucial to the success of your writing. In actual practice, youmay need to analyze your audience in terms of three factors: social relations, knowledge, andviewpoints in order to decide the best approach for your writing. And in the next lecture, we'lldiscuss the writing purpose and your role in the writing. Thank you for your attention!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Section B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCEONLY.Listen carefully and then answer the questionsthat follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on aninterview. At the end of the interview, you will begiven 10 seconds to answer each of the following 5questions. Now listen to the interview.Good morning, listeners.T oday I'd like to introduceour guest speaker George Allen from the BritishCouncil, who is going to talk to us about living in theUK. George, over to you. Thank you. As you are nodoubt aware the UK is becoming a popular destination for people who wish to study atuniversity, so what I'd like to do is, well,just give you listeners an insight into what living in theUK is really like. You know, what to expect when you getthere and the cost of living,as well aswhat to do before you arrive in the UK. What do students have to consider first before theygo? Finance, of course. Britain is quite an expensive place to live in. Therefore, you need toconsider costs very carefully. And one of the major expenses is tuition fees. University coursesrange from about 5,000 pounds to 8,000 pounds, depending on the type of course. Then,other expenses such as books, which can cost about 500 pounds per year. That's aconsiderable amount. Then where do you suggest students to stay? As for accommodation,many people prefer to stay in the university's hall of residence because living on campus is alot cheaper than living off campus. A room in halls would cost you about 80 pounds per weekoutside of London. The north of England, however, is much cheaper. Then what about living offcampus? Well, you can rent a private house with a group of other students. You may think thiswould be an expensive option, but if you share the cost with three or four other students itcan actually work out cheaper than a room on campus. But do bear in mind that you haveadditional transport costs to and from university. However, if anyone is interested in rentingoff campus, the university accommodation can offer advice, and even help you to find asuitable place. That's good news. What is the climate like in the UK? Britain is famous for itsbad weather and for good reasons. It rains often in the UK, and even in the summer it can stillbe quite cold. So take plenty of warm clothes with You can, of course, buy warm clothes whenyou are there, and indeed,they don't have to be too expensive if you go to a local market. Buttaking your own is, of course,a cheaper option. You bet. George, some listeners are anxiousabout food there. Is it really unpleasant? Many people who visit the UK often find the foodrather boring and uninteresting. This is because,generally, people don't use spices in theircooking. Nevertheless, some of the food, I must say, is actually rather good. And the cheapestplaces to eat out are often local pubs, where they serve excellent home-cooked food, as well asserving as the centre of social life in most towns and cities in the UK. Besides local pubs, arethere coffee shops as well? You know the UK is a great tea drinking nation.Therefore, don'texpect to find too many American style coffee shops. There are, of course,many to be found inbig cities such as London, but tea shops, as they are called, are much more common. What dopeople do for recreation after study or work? There is excellent nightlife in Britain.All the majorcities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool are a center of cultural activities. However,you may think London has the best nightlife. But Manchester, I must say, tops the bill. Being amulticultural city you will find all kinds of entertainment there from theaters to nightclubs,aswell as museums and art galleries. And it's considerably cheaper than London,whilstundoubtedly offering the best the country has to offer. However, if you prefer a quieter life thenI would certainly recommend the southwest of England. There you will find wonderfulcountryside with the most spectacular views and many traditional towns and villages. Sostudents need to get well prepared for everything you introduced just now. But where can theyfind detailed information on them? Well, a good guide book is compulsory. It should containmaps and information about where to go and what to do. Internet is also a valuable source ofinformation. My main advice, of course,, is to contact the university accommodation office. T ellthem when and where you will arrive and ask them how to get to the university from theairport. George, you have given us valuable advice on livingin the UK. It's very beneficial toour listeners.Thanks a lot. It's my pleasure.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Section C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section, you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.Listen carefully and then answer the questions thatfollow. Questions 6 to 7 are based on the followingnews. At the end of the news item, you will be given10 seconds to answer each of the twoquestions.Now listen to the news.At one time, scientists thought the space betweenEarth and Sun was a vacuum. But we now knowthat the sun fills it with gusts of hot,electricallycharged atomic particles called the solar wind.Sometimes this wind blows hard. When the Sun's outer layer is very active,it hurls nearly one-third of its gaseous matter outward at supersonic speeds. The U.S. government's oceans andatmosphere agency NOAA,has a Space Environment Center to monitor these discharges. Thecenter's director, Ernest Hildner, says intense solar emissions are not dangerous to people onthe ground, but can be a hazard to airplane occupants and astronauts. They can also shutdown satellites, power networks, communications, and other technical systems. Question 8 isbased on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds toanswer the question.Now listen to the news. Today Yasmine El-Safy is getting ready to sendthe latest issue of MG Magazine out to its subscribers. Yasmine El-Safy is MG magazine'sfounder, publisher and editor-in-chief. She is thirteen and a half years old. She says she startedthis magazine for Muslim girls because she couldn't relate to anything in the mainstream media.Living in a neighborhood in the Los Angelesarea of California, with few other Muslim families,the magazine has also been a way for Yasmine to meet Muslim girls like herself. Throughwebsites and Internet discussion groups, Yasmine recruited other girls, one from as far away asKuwait,to contribute to the magazine. They write about things such as peers pressure anddressing modestly, and being a Muslim in a non-Muslim world. While MG Magazine is producedby Muslim girls,there is adult supervision provided by Yasmine's mother Lyla El-Safy, who saysthat the articles in the magazine reflect Muslim values. Questions 9 and 10 are based on thefollowing news. At the end of the news item,you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of thetwo questions.Now listen to the news. Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes ChinesePresident Hu Jintao to Moscow Thursday for a four-day official visit. The two leaders areexpected to talk on strengthening bilateral relations,especially in the areas of energy and trade.One day before President Putin was to host his Chinese counterpart, the Kremlin announcedthat 2006 would officially be named the Year of Russia in China,with the Year of China to followin Russia in 2007. The growing sense of accord between the two neighbors, is not lost onanalysts. Many say that while this week's talks will not likely lead to any real breakthroughs,they will go a long way toward forging what officials on both sides are calling, a new relationship.。
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【听力理解】
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS(2008)
—GRADE EIGHT—
TIME LIMIT: 195MIN
PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN)
SECTION A MINI -LECTURE
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. You notes will not be market, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task for after the mini- lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on
ANSWER SHEET ONE.
Use the blank sheet for note- tanking.
SECTION B INTERVIEW
In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your colored answer sheet.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.
Now listen to the interview
1. Mary doesn't seem to favour the idea of a new airport because
A. the existing airports are to be wasted
B. more people will be encouraged to travel.
C. more oil will be consumed.
D. more airplanes will be purchased.
2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned by Mary as a potential disadvantage?
A. More people in the area.
B. Noise and motorways.
C. Waste of land.
D. Unnecessary travel.
3. Freddy has cited the following advantages for a new airport EXCEPT
A. more job opportunities.
B. vitality to the local economy.
C. road construction,
D. presence of aircrew in the area.
4. Mary thinks that people dont need to do much travel nowadays as a result of
A. less emphasis on personal contact.
B. advances in modern telecommunications.
C. recent changes in peoples concepts.
D. more potential damage to the area
5. We learn from the conversation that Freddy is Marys ideas,
A. strongly in favour of
B. mildly in favour of
C. strongly against
D. mildly against
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.
Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
6. What is the main idea of the news item?
A. A new government was formed after Sundays elections.
B. The new government intends to change the welfare system.
C. The Social Democratic Party founded the welfare system.
D. The Social Democratic Party was responsible for high unemployment.
Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.
7. The tapes of the Apollo-11 mission were first stored in
A. a U.S. government archives warehouse.
B. a NASA ground tracking station.
C. the Goddard Space Flight Centre.
D. none of the above places.
8. What does the news item say about Richard Nafzger?
A. He is assigned the task to look for the
B. He believes that the tapes are probably lost.
C. He works in a NASA ground receiving site.
D. He had asked for the tapes in the 1970s.
Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.
9. The example in the news item is cited mainly to show
A. that doctors are sometimes professionally incompetent
B. that in cases like that hospitals have to pay huge compensations.
C. that language barriers might lower the quality of treatment.
D. that language barriers can result in fatal consequences.
10. According to Dr. Flores, hospitals and clinics
A. have seen the need for hiring trained interpreters.
B. have realized the problems of language barriers.
C. have begun training their staff to be bilinguals.
D. have taken steps to provide accurate diagnosis.。